


The Faceless Man's Game

by TooYoungToFeelThisTired



Series: You could have loved me forever. And maybe in another universe, I let you [13]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Allison's POV, Alternate Universe - Horror, Alternate Universe - Monster, American Horror Story AU, Ben's POV, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Creepy, Crushes, Cursed, Curses, Depression, Diego's pov, Drug Addiction, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, First Love, Five's POV, Fiveya is the main ship of course, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Horror, Horror Moments, Horror game, Hurt/Comfort, IT AU, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Klaus's POV, Love, Love Confessions, Luther's POV, M/M, No incest - No one is related, No incest if you understand Fiveya, Oculus AU, Past Relationship(s), Psychological Trauma, Racism, Romance, Stephan King AU, Stranger Things AU, The Haunting of the Hill House AU, The Midnight Man AU, Thriller, Vanya's POV, Violence, Wishes, alluther - Freeform, fiveya - Freeform, kliego - Freeform, minor fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 34,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28075932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooYoungToFeelThisTired/pseuds/TooYoungToFeelThisTired
Summary: Seventeen years ago, seven friends played a game. Six of them won and earned the right for a wish to come true. One of them lost. Now they must play the game again in order to get their friend back and save themselves before all of their wishes come true and doom them forever.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Ben Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves & Luther Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Ben Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Klaus Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy & Vanya Hargreeves, Number Five | The Boy/Vanya Hargreeves
Series: You could have loved me forever. And maybe in another universe, I let you [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1374196
Comments: 18
Kudos: 43





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own anything

_Maybe there's a universe out there — happening now — where we end up together. Maybe there's a universe where I'm the right person for you. Where I adore every nice thing you did for me without starting to resent you. A universe where you actually end up with someone who appreciates you. Where both of us can shed our baggage and curiosity and issues. If you think of it all this way, then it's like neither of us did anything wrong. You just found me in the wrong universe. That's all. Because you could have loved me forever. And maybe in another universe, I let you.― Gaby Dunn_

* * *

**Now**

'Jesus!' half-shouted Five as Ben jumped at him from behind the small bush. He must have been hiding for a while now with the attempt to scare his best friend shitless like the idiot prankster he sometimes was.

The other boy put a hand against his still startled heart before he frowned at his best friend who was laughing softly at his anguish, 'Seriously, Ben? What if my mom heard you? I would have been so dead, and so would you.'

The other boy grinned and shrugged his shoulders adding even more to Five's annoyance, 'We're going on a creepy adventure in the middle of the night, Five. No way, I am passing up an opportunity to scare the crap out of you.'

Five rolled his eyes and shoved his best friend for good measures before they started to walk toward the edge of Five's family property, 'Still can't believe you convince _me_ to do _this_.'

He was walking a bit ahead expecting to hear Ben's hushed footsteps to follow him along with some snarky comment but heard nothing as a reply to his comment.

'Ben?' asked Five and turned around slowly only to find his friend gone as well as his mother's backyard and their house. Instead, he was facing a large antic-looking mirror hanging on the wall seemingly covering the entire wall.

'No,' said Five in a low voice feeling dread creeping up his back as he realized where he was and what he would see in the mirror if he came too close.

'Five?' he heard Ben whisper close to his ear.

The other boy spun around his whole body soaking in fear of what ominous thing was waiting for him behind his back his heart speeded up hitting against his rib case like a little scared bird wishing to break free while goosebumps spread at the back of his neck and the cold sweat covered him.

'B-ben?' he asked into the empty darkroom of the horrible old house from his worst nightmares. All the doors to the room were open leaving him weak and unguarded to _whatever_ would decide to come for him.

'Ben, where are you? Where did you go?' asked Five his voice so small, so scared, and so desperate.

'Go?' he heard the voice of his best friend against his ear again, and when he turned around he finally saw him facing the large terrifying mirror. His reflection was hidden from Five because of how close he was standing to the object which only added to the already unnerving and scary scene.

'Where would I go, Five?' questioned the boy his voice strange, like it was coming from behind the wall and not from the body standing in front of him causing all the hair on Five's body to stand up. 'I didn't go anywhere,' continued to boy's voice.

_Not right. Not right. Not right._

His voice didn't sound right. Something was wrong. Five could feel it with every cell in his body. Something was horribly wrong with Ben.

Five's feet moved without his consent slowly toward the boy his heart beating loud enough for anyone even outside the room to hear him, 'Please, Ben…'

His hand was suddenly on his friend's shoulder trying to turn him around. His throat was closing up as pure fear chilled his entire body to the bones, 'I'm right here, where you left me, Five.'

Ben spun around, but instead of his pure childlike face, there was a large blank one without any mouth, nose, or eyes before the skin started to peel off on its own leaving bloody scratch marks against the once smooth skin.

_Ben's blood_

Suddenly Ben grabbed Five's neck, and he could hear the voice again, Ben's voice, realizing it wasn't coming from this demonic-looking face, 'Why, Five? Why did you leave me here, Five? Why did you leave me behind, Five?'

_Five!_

'No! _'_ he snapped and tried to grab the hand holding him only to cause the young stewardess to jump away from him.

Five blinked several times at the woman before he looked around realizing where he was and what happened, 'Oh.'

'I'm sorry for waking you up, Sir, but we're about to land, and you need to put on your seatbelts,' explained the woman fixing her uniform and clearly trying to calm herself.

Five sat up looking around the jet and nodded, 'Thank you.'

'Of course, is there anything-'

'That will be all,' he cut her off rudely. It wasn't the first time, the woman tried to chat him up, and now more than before he was not in the mood.

She finally seemed to take the hint and walked away leaving Five to buckle the seatbelts and gather his thoughts.

After it happened, he used to have dreams like that all the time when he was younger, but once his mother had him moved from Pawnee they stopped altogether leaving him almost empty without them. Without the reminder of what happened that night seventeen years ago.

They always started the same nice and warm like a childhood memory and turned into a brutal nightmare. Mother paid the best psychologist to talk to him and explain that it was just his way of coping with that night and what happened-well-what they made up to say that happened. There was no way, they could admit to the truth. No one would believe them, and they didn't want to face the consequences of breaking a rule of the game or what they assumed was a rule.

_Of its game…_

Five fixed his tie giving himself something to do as the jet slowly landed. It was a good three-hour drive before he would get to Pawnee, but he had no other choice as it was nowhere near any closer airports his pilot could land this time of year.

'Everything up to your liking, Sir?' asked Hazel his private pilot for almost three years now.

Five nodded his hand firmly before he replied, 'Yes, thank you.'

'Have a nice trip back home,' said the man as Five was stepping out which caused a chill similar to the one he experienced in his dream to ran through him which left a bitter taste in his mouth as he thought darkly.

_Yes, a nice trip back home_

* * *

**Now**

Five rented a car. They left the town more or less after it happened. He supposed all of them had to leave around that time although his mother waited two more years before she sold the house which he never understood why. But then again, Five never really understood why his mother did most of the things she did except to hurt him one way or another for binding her to a life as a single mother.

_Sometimes, I wish you were never born, James_

She told him when she got drunk after a date gone wrong when he six. Only boring and ugly middle-aged men left for the town's former beauty queen after she had a kid apparently. She never forgave him as if he asked to be born or even meant for that matter.

The drive was long, and even the music on the radio didn't serve as a good enough distraction.

Five felt like he needed a drink, but that wouldn't do. He had three more hours of driving and another six more of gathering everyone he could and arranging everything before the night would start. Before the game would start.

_The Faceless Man's game_

The truth was at times it was easy to think of it as a bad dream. All of it. Just a disappearance of a childhood friend nearby a river dam. He probably fell, and they just never found his body. They were all dehydrated, hungry, sleep-deprived inside a creepy old house. Their imagination could have run wild. Maybe Ben just really disappeared into the night wanting to go home on his own, got lost, and ended up in that dam. Maybe it was all just a tragic _ordinary_ night just like everyone said.

When Five finished his work in his multi-billion company and took a fifth or sixth glass of whiskey to be able to sleep quickly, he even believed it. It was just an ordinary night during which his best friend got lost in the woods and probably ended up in the dam. There wasn't anything mysterious or haunting about it. Just an ordinary night-just an ordinary-

'FUCK!' snapped Five as all of the sudden a man literally jumped in front of his rented car almost causing Five to hit him in full speed if he didn't hit the brakes when he was still only able to stop against the man's legs.

Five's heart was on the edge of the explosion before he looked up at the man wearing pink sunglasses with his semi-long brownish hair dancing in the wind. He looked like some male stripper with his open jacket that revealed his bare chest and tight leather pants which Five noticed once he finally caught some hold of his near heart attack experience.

He opened the door and stepped out, 'What the hell? Are you mental?'

'Did anyone ever answer yes to that question, Jamie-boy?' asked the man lowering his sunglasses to reveal his eyes, 'Or do you still go by _Five_ by friends?'

Five closed his eyes his heart returning back to normal completely as he realized who he was dealing with, 'Klaus.'

His former classmate offered him a large grin revealing a missing tooth while touching his chest, 'You remember… Oh, Five, I'm so touched.'

The other man rolled his eyes and started to get inside the car again, 'Get inside already, you clown.'

The tall and skinny man lightly skipped into the passenger's seat giving Five a whistle, 'Yours? I heard you're quite the Richie-rich now.'

Five took in a deep breath already remembering why Klaus was always _Ben's_ friend and not his as he had a low tolerance for people and their big mouths, and Klaus easily held the title of the biggest mouth Five had ever met.

'It's rented,' he said and started it again, 'I'm in California now. I had to fly here.'

Klaus leaned against the car seat and started to pull out a joint earning a disbelieving look from Five, 'Seriously?'

'Want to share? Or buy?' teased Klaus, and Five groaned, 'Hard pass. Why were you on the road? Didn't my assistant send you cash to get here? Enough to get to Pawnee in _one piece_?'

Klaus grinned, 'Ah, yes, lovely _lovely_ Agnes. She's quite the doll, isn't she?'

Five didn't answer. Sometimes, if people wanted straight answers from junkies like Klaus it was better not to engage in their bullshit and wait out in silence until they would get back on track.

The man behind him put the joint back into his breast pocket and brushed his hair with his fingers to the back, 'I might have run into some less fortunate people along the way and decided to donate some of your kind fortunate to them. You know how it is.'

Five kept his eyes on the road while he said drily, 'Your bookies and dealers wanted you to pay what you owed?'

'Or we can say that,' admitted more or less Klaus before the two of them fell into silence the radio playing Backstreet Boys all of a sudden. It was like a punch into the gut or a sign that they were on the right track, but even despite everything that happened Five was never a believer of such things as fate. Then again, maybe it was time he started to believe in such things for better or worse.

Five half expected Klaus to make a joke, but even the clown could recognize when it was no place to for humor.

It felt like forever until the song, _Ben's_ stupid favorite one, ended causing both of them to let out small breaths of relief. It was hard. On some days harder than others. It was years, almost two decades, but it still felt like an open wound, like it happened just yesterday, like it happened and took something away from them as a limb or…. _soul_.

'Do you think everyone will come? Diego? Allison?' asked Klaus his voice softer now. He was done with the jokes for good now allowing Five to see why Ben and he use to be friends. It was hard for him as well. Five found some comfort in that knowing despite his lack of _everything_ Klaus cared. At least for Ben, but that was enough.

Five gripped the wheel tighter, 'I hope so. They owe it to Ben-but…,' he didn't need to finish, both of them were thinking the same.

_People change_

'I reached out to everyone, so if they cared for Ben they will be there,' he said and nodded to himself.

He caught Klaus pressing the side of his head against the window seemingly ready to doze off, 'Everyone cares for Ben. He's the sweetheart. Everyone will tell you that about our _Benny Boy_.'

Just like that, Five heard the other man softly inhale and exhale as he fell asleep leaving him to the peace of his own thoughts, and the road in front of them.

Five was right. Everyone liked Ben. Ever since they were kids Ben was like a little pup you wanted to pet and carry around, and Five was the horribly unpleasant looking old cat you wanted to leave the hell alone. How they became friends, Five would never know, but one day, Ben showed up in his backyard and asked Five if he wanted to go catch frogs with him by the lake. Five knew he wasn't the easiest person to deal with. Far from it, but Ben seemed to like him calling him his best friend like it wasn't a big deal. Like he didn't have about fifty other kids he could pick from to be his best friend while Five only had him. Ben was special. Ben deserved better.

Five eased his fingers from the steering wheel promising himself that he would get Ben more than what he deserved. He owed him that much. He owed him everything for the life he didn't get to live while the rest of them got everything they wanted. Well, _almost_ everything.

Glancing at Klaus to make sure he was asleep, Five reached for his phone and tried to dial the number again. He tried before the jet took off and again before he rented the car but with zero luck.

This time the mechanic voice of the voicemail announced that it was full and could no longer accept any new messages.

Five's stomach twisted in the worse kind of way.

_Vanya, where are you?_

* * *

**Now**

Vanya woke up with a start her elbow hiding the side of the back door of her old yet new car. Old because it was a piece of shit even she had admitted that, but new because in the thirteen years since she had her driver's license this was the first car she ever bought.

'Shit,' she hissed holding onto the hurt arm waiting for the sharp pain to dull down before she looked around remembering where she was and why.

Sighing she pressed the back of her head against the seat and sat up glancing out of the window. Was it late morning or lunch already?

She drove almost to the point of falling asleep and crashing the car before she settled for the side of the road to take a quick-or not so quick as it turned out nap.

Still, she knew she was close now and moved to the front telling herself, she would simply wash up in the first gas station, she would come across and then stop at some dinner.

Once she started the car, she waited until the radio host announced lunchtime sighing. It almost felt like a bizarre road trip if it wasn't for the unsettling feeling inside her stomach that grew the closer she was getting to Pawnee slowly going over everything that happened that night, then two nights ago, and last week over and over again.

Her wrist still hurt, and when she pulled the sleeve higher she could see the beginning of the bruise in the form of Leonard's fingers as he grabbed her demanding an explanation for her behavior that Vanya simply didn't possess.

It was strange. All her life since that night seventeen years ago, she feared touching a pen or keyboard like it would cause a plague. All her life, she avoided writing anything which could be taken or used as a story to be publish shooting down any idea for a book or novel before it would bloom inside her head quickly grabbing her violin instead and drifting away with the music. It was better if she could focus herself on the practice, or parents, or boyfriends. Everything was better than to be left without something to do and feel this inside _pressure_ in her head, her hands, her whole body to grab something and _write, create, make_ a _bestseller._ Someone would have laughed, bestsellers don't write themselves, but those people weren't cursed with greatness and a wish come true the way Vanya was.

At first, it was too painful. Before that night, Vanya was a very lonely child with almost no friends except for occasionally Ben who liked to walk with her and from school since they lived close exchanging words about music and books something they both enjoyed sometimes accompanied by Ben's best friend, Five if he was up for a discussion. But apart from those moments, Vanya was always alone, an outsider of sorts, moving to the town before the end of summer never the type to talk first or make friends with ease Ben seemed to. So when she was alone and not playing the violin, Vanya would write. Nothing major, just a short story here and there two pages or four about things she saw around her. Her grandmother said she had a way with words, which always made the girl happy, but after that night nightmares and fear consumed her life, and it took her almost four months before she started to play again getting back on her feet still locking all the windows, door and making sure there was no mirror in her room that could haunt her. She tried to write something after she managed to sleep without the torture of what happened that night, her dreams forgettable, but whenever she took a hold of her pen, it seemed like all that filled her mind were images of her and the others running through the house trying to escape _it_ before the time was up once again throwing her to the stage of anguish she couldn't handle without the medication her parents forced her to take.

So Vanya put the pen and paper away and decided to practice whenever she felt the need to write something thinking she just needed time to get over the trauma of that night. It was almost three years since that night, and Vanya all but left the memories of that horror behind as they moved to another small town because of her dad's work filled with new school, new people, new everything. She was bored and decided to try writing again just to see if she still had some of the talents, she used to before. She wanted to make it a small simple story in two or four pages. Nothing too long or complicated. She had a good idea so she started and wrote, and wrote, and wrote-

' _Vanya, this is brilliant,'_ Vanya could hear her mother's surprised voice as she came back from the kitchen and found her mother holding onto the fifty pages long story she wrote in one day, ' _I knew you wrote a bit, but I didn't think you were this talented. Oh, we should show it to someone? Maybe the local paper? Maybe daddy could contact some publishing agency. This is really-amazing, darling-_ '

Her mind speeded up trying to erase the words of praise coming from her mom's mouth. She never looked or sounded prouder at Vanya. It was so genuine and honest. She sounded happy and proud, and Vanya was happy for a second as well until she realized that if _this_ was how her mom sounded when she really felt and thought all those things about something Vanya did, then all those other times she must have faked her excitement, not really caring about her grades, performances or anything in between just saying what a good mother should and would to make her feel better.

After that second, however, Vanya realized something else, ' _Oh, darling you should be a writer. An author of best-sellers. I can tell this one would surely be one._ '

Her body ran cold and before she could stop herself, Vanya grabbed the papers from her mother and ran downstairs ignoring her shouts turning on the stove and burning the corner of the papers before tossing them to the sink and watching them turn to ash hearing the voice of her thirteen-year-old self saying over and over again:

' _My name is Vanya, and if I win, my reward will be…to become the best-selling author.'_

Vanya slowed the car down feeling her whole body shaking as she was starting to lose control over the car and realized she passed at least two gas stations.

Her hand automatically reached out to brush away some tears, she didn't realize left her eyes, and told herself she would stop at the next one for gas and something small to eat. She needed to save money and energy for tonight.

* * *

**Now**

' _Diego, listen to me,_ ' said Eudora Patch in her commanding voice her patience running low since she spent the last ten minutes trying to talk some sense into him and could clearly hear now it was no use.

'I can't talk about this right now,' replied Diego stepping out of his car and glancing at the shitty looking motel with a half-broken neon sign _Pawnee's jewel_.

' _Diego, this is serious!'_ she was angry now reminding Diego of the time, they were together and would fight about something, _'Talbott wants to press charges, and the chief can't afford a scandal. You broke his nose-'_

'Dad's an asshole who beats up his son and wife, _daily_. As far as I'm concerned, he got what he deserved,' Diego cut her off while looking at the sign with distaste before he grabbed his bag and headed toward the main desk wondering if it wouldn't be better to stay in his car. It wasn't like he was planning to sleep tonight anyway.

' _Look, I know he did, and believe me, if it was up to me, I would beat his ass so hard he wouldn't even think about hurting them again, but you know we can't do this like this. We're cops. We swore to serve and protect and like it or not, beating dirtbags is still against the law. If you're not in the office by tomorrow morning to apologize or at least explain yourself I-I don't know what will happen, D.,'_ she said by the end her voice losing the anger and raising with concern. Broken up or not Diego knew she would always care for him and hope just for the best for him, _'Where are you? I can come over and talk or something…'_

He wanted to say something mean. Something to piss her off and make her forget about him. It would be easier if she was pissed off if he didn't make it back.

He frowned trying to chase the idea away and said, 'I'm at my nanna's place just dealing with some family shit. Look, forget it, I will try to be there tomorrow, and thanks Patch, you-,' his voice broke a bit by the end, and he was almost expecting himself to stutter the way he used to as a kid or if he got too stress over something nowadays before he took a deep breath to be able to continue, 'I will talk to you tomorrow. I promise.'

' _Diego-'_

'Bye, Eudora,' he hung up and closed his eyes making sure to gather himself and what he felt in that moment before he made his way toward the shitty looking main desk already telling himself he would sleep in the car than in whatever bed filled with sperm and shit he would get here.

Patch was pissed that he hung up. No doubt, it was enough to get her off his back while also not hurt her too much. It was better this way. He didn't want to leave her with a too tearful goodbye as she would probably sense something was seriously off, but if he needed a goodbye, he also didn't want it to be him being a complete dick to her. She deserved better. Better than him, which was why when she broke up with him, he didn't fight it, he just let her go. He owed her that much given all she did for him.

He was broken. Seventeen years after that stupid night filled with stupid decisions, and he was still the broken boy he was back then. He knew it. He had been feeling bad all week getting nightmares and flashbacks about that night his heartbeat speeding up without seemingly any reason and his words coming out breathless like he was terrified. He knew it had something to do with that house, that night, with _Ben…_

Then Talbott's case showed up on his desk. The social worker swore something was going on but didn't have evidence. Diego came to their house. It was a dump in the worst neighborhood where you wouldn't want to accidentally get lost in the middle of the night or day. The kind of place one would rather avoid completely or burn down. The woman was pale and skinny trying to smile too much, look like a happy housewife shaking as she talked and walked already making excuses like _Johnny works too much_ and _Johnny's a good dad_ and _Johnny has a hard job_.

They were in the kitchen, a small room barely fitting the counter, stove, and table when the kid came into the room.

He was ten and short with dirty-blond hair, but the moment Diego set his eyes on him, he turned into Ben.

' _Hey, D., show me that move again. I know you want to,'_ he could still hear Ben's knowing voice as he humored him over again and over again to show him some stupid fighting move, he learned by watching TV in Klaus's house. Dad never let him watch anything in his house, but Klaus's parents never seemed to be around or care what the boys did, and Diego loved to watch old kung-fu movies, sports, and matches, especially box always trying to mimic the moves feeling on top of the world when Klaus started to talk like the commentator from the boxing match, ' _Introducing the best boxer in his weight category, the one and only greatest, toughest-_ '

Ben was a good kid. Ben was always nice and a good friend seeing whatever people were struggling with and trying to make it better without embarrassing them or pointing it out.

 _Kill them with kindness_ that would have been Ben's motto.

When Diego saw the bruise on Ben's cheek as he came into that kitchen just as _Johnny_ Talbott made it home, he lost it. It was all too familiar. Everything from the dump of the house, to the mother, always trying to defeat the abusive father, to the kid's bruise whose face became Ben's for a second. It was all so damn much, and when that fucker put his hand on Diego's shoulder demanding to know who he was while the wife tried to explain he was a cop, he lost it and punched the man as hard as he could the way he always _dreamed_ he would his own father for beating up him and his mom until he wasn't laying on the ground screaming in pain, the woman hysterically crying, and the boy becoming only a stranger boy with dirty blond hair.

He didn't even waste time with waiting for backup. Just called it in about domestic violence, told the wife and kid to wait outside, and went home to pack a bag get into his piece of shit old car, and drive straight here to Pawnee with Five's letter laying on the passenger's seat.

It took him almost fifteen hours by car all the while he kept on glancing at the letter and nodding to himself: _For Ben_.

Once he came to the motel, he spotted a grey Lexus parked right outside the main desk a bit in the shadow as if to stay hidden. He would have thought the mayor was somewhere in the room having a good time, but then noticed the plates were L.A and started thinking.

'Hey,' he called the man at the desk as he got inside, 'that nice car over that belongs to anyone I could know?'

'Sorry, pal,' said the owner of the motel and pointed behind him at the sign that stated:

_Privacy above anything else_

Diego didn't waste time and pulled out his badge, 'How about now?'

'New York cop looking for L.A A-list actress, what a night for a little Pawnee motel,' joked the owner brushing the back of his neck seemingly not at all thrilled about the possibility of a cop staying in.

_A-list actress_

'Which room?' he asked knowing it had to be Allison.

* * *

**Now**

Leaving the car in the motel could have been a dumb choice on her part, Allison realized as she walked for over thirty minutes to the house. Then again, if she drove here in daylight in her fancy car everyone would notice and if someone called it into the news, she and the whole reason she was there would be screwed. Not to mention she drove for almost five days now wondering why didn't she just take a plane, but knowing it at least gave her something to do and avoid masses of people recognizing her.

She came early, a day ago. Patrick gave her Claire for the weekend, so she made sure they had the best one ever filling every moment with some activity or playtime. It felt good to have her daughter back even if only for those two days. When she hugged her goodbye, the little girl whispered, ' _Next time we don't have to do anything, mommy. I'm just like to be with you.'_

Allison managed to hold her tears in until their car left her driveway before she collapsed helplessly to her knees letting them out. It took her a while, but once she calmed herself down enough, she packed a bag and hit the road just to have something to do. It was crazy. A sane person wouldn't drive over 2100 miles in a car declining calls from a publicist, agents, movie producers, colleagues, and everyone else like she was on a suicide mission. But Allison couldn't help herself.

Every time her ex-husband brought Claire over, she felt on top of the world filled with love and a duty as a mother to take care of her daughter, but whenever he took her away, she was left with this emptiness that couldn't be filled. Before the divorce and before Patrick got custody, Allison craved those small moments where she could escape being a mother and wife like she suspected anyone did. But now she would give up everything just to be able to be back in the house with her baby girl.

She reached her hand ready to knock on the doorframe before she paused remembering the last time she said those world.

' _My name is Allison, and if I win, I will be an A-list actress.'_

She didn't even want to be an actress, she just wanted to stick it to her sister with who she hadn't spoken with in almost five years. She was just scared and angry and-

'Excuse me, I think you have the wrong house,' she heard and turned around to find an old man slowly making his way to the front door.

She stepped aside for a moment thrown off by the man before she realized who he was. She hadn't seen him in almost seventeen years after all, and once the largest and scariest man in Pawnee now became an old slowly pacing man with a limp and a walking stick, 'Sorry-I, oh, you don't remember me, I'm Luther's friend, Allison.'

The front door opened then revealing the largest looking man Allison had ever seen in her life, 'Dad-'

'My son doesn't have negro friends,' said the old man without looking at her again.

'Jesus, dad, don't say that. Apologize,' said the man but stepped outside guiding the man into the house while Allison tried to get over her shock and find the proper response to what the man just said. This was hardly the first time some racist pig ever insulted her, but since her raise the fame, it was definitely a rare occurrence as she was mostly surrounded by people who adored her or were in the same boat as her.

The large man looked at her with a sincerely apologetic face she knew so well growing up, 'I'm sorry, he's an asshole and he's senile which is no excuse but…,' the man stopped his nervous rambling, and she couldn't help but smile as despite how much he changed the way he acted around her all nervous and always trying to be polite and a good guy warmed her heart a bit, 'Hey, Luther.'

'Allison,' he breathed out stunned reminding her that he was the first person who ever showed her what it was like to be adored like that. It felt like ages ago. It still felt good.

'Hi,' she said softly almost shyly which surprised her since she couldn't remember the last time she was shy or nervous.

Luther finally got over his shock and smiled a bit before they both stepped closer pulling one another into a friendly hug, 'Oh my God, Allison.'

She chuckled upon hearing his voice sounding still so shocked, 'I didn't-gosh, it's been so long.'

She nodded against him for a moment closing her eyes and brushing his back as far as she could, given the enormous height difference trying and failing to recall the last time, she felt this good after a hug.

'Yeah, ages, uh, I got…Five's letter, and…I just..,' she couldn't explain it as she stepped away from him knowing the hug was too long already.

Luther let her go like always nodding with understanding, 'I know. I have one too somewhere in the house. Uh, do you want to come inside?'

She grimaced, 'Will your dad behave?'

'Hardly, he's still an asshole,' said Luther rolling his eyes. Allison remembered. Usually, Luther's dad had more mind to keep his racist comments to himself, but with old age, he probably lost the filter altogether. He never liked that Luther and she were friends, but he never openly said why even if Allison suspected it.

' _It doesn't matter what he thinks,_ ' said Luther when they were eight walking from school together, ' _You're my best friend, Ally. Screw him._ ' He looked so courageous and honest. Allison always thought Luther was like a superhero with a brave heart and a need for justice and goodness.

Luther pointed at the bench on the porch, 'Maybe we can sit for a moment and catch up. I can get a neighbor to watch him later when we will be needed.'

She sighed and nodded already making her way to the bench. She only came to his house when his dad and brothers were out. Given that he didn't mention them, she figured they must have all moved out with only Luther left behind to take care of his senile father he never seemed to have any common ground with.

Allison couldn't help, but wonder if that was Luther's punishment for his wish that came true.

* * *

**A Month Ago**

'Sorry to bother you,' said Agnes as she came into his office, 'But this letter came, and I find it very odd.'

Five was on his way out already. He was supposed to go to some charity thing. Those kinds of things were always more his ex-fiancée's idea of a fun evening, but as the prefix, _ex-_ explained he no longer had the benefit of throwing them on her shoulders to deal with.

'What another threat? Dear reader, if you don't send me ten thousand dollars, I will murder you in your sleep,' quoted Five the last request for money he received from some unknown John, who never met him but found his fortune a reason to ask for something for himself. People were greedy. Five thought he knew the depth of just how corrupted people could be, but it wasn't until he became rich that he truly saw all the horrors they were capable of. He saw a real monster and yet sometimes people appeared worse. It was terrifying and depressing at times.

'No, it's from someone named Sir Reginald Hargreeves -'

Five stopped fixing tie an instant feeling of bone-chilling cold hit his body.

'-he claims you two should meet and discuss the circumstances and rules of the next round of something called _The Faceless's man game-_?'

She didn't have time to finish as Five ripped the paper from her hands. Over the years, Five trusted Agnes enough to be in charge of all the mail he received and decide whether it was something he needed to see or not.

His eyes read the letter over and over again as his body and mind were still in shock over the words containing it.

'Call the event. Tell them I won't be coming and call Hazel to arrange a flight to London ASAP,' he said his voice stammering as he spoke his eyes still on the letter hypnotized by the content every part of him feeling the approching terror of what it meant. Almost as if he could feel the monster once again breathing down on his neck. Just like it did seventeen years ago when he was just a little boy trying desperate to hide from it in the dark knowing it was pointless. The Faceless Man was always closeby.

* * *

**Seventeen Years Ago**

'Jesus!' half-shouted Five as Ben jumped at him from behind the small bush, he must have been hiding for a while now.

The other boy put a hand against his still startled heart before he frowned at his best friend, 'Seriously, Ben? What if my dad heard you? I would have been so dead, and so would you.'

The other boy grinned and shrugged his shoulders, 'We're going on a creepy adventure in the middle of the night, Five. No way, I am passing up an opportunity to scare the crap out of you.'

Five rolled his eyes and shoved his best friend before they started to walk, 'Still can't believe you convince me to do this.'

He forced his hands into his pockets as they carefully made their way out of Five's mother's property avoiding all the security cameras the way, Five learned when he was like ten. However, it was the first time they snuck out with the intention to stay out later than an hour or two.

It was all Allison's idea.

Five heard her whispering about it to Luther and Diego the other day in school, but he didn't think much of it as he barely spoke with any of them throughout most of the middle school. Whatever they were up to was not his concern.

However, when he noticed that their teachers called out Klaus about talking with Ben three times in one day, he sighed knowing what would it all resolve in. They were planning something, and they got Ben involved which meant Five would get dragged by him as well.

When Ben found him after class, Five groaned, 'No way, forget it.' He was firmly against the idea.

So of course, several hours later he was sneaking out of his house with Ben and taking their bikes to the creepiest house in town which everyone claimed was haunted for some game night. How was it that Klaus could convince Ben so easily, and he could convince him, Five would never learn.

'I got to find a better best friend,' he muttered as they hid their bikes behind the bushes and looked up at the house on the hill. It was old and empty for so many years it just looked creepy as hell. Five didn't think it was haunted, but he didn't find visiting it in the middle of the night all that appealing either. They had been inside before, but only during the day more or less disgusted with the spiderweb and dust than scared. It looked worse at night. Figures.

'If we're going to wait for Klaus to show up, we will be stuck here all night,' commented Five as he checked his watch. It was almost ten.

'We're not waiting for Klaus,' said Ben and twisted Five's wrist to check the time as well, 'She had never been up the hill so I told her we would walk her.'

Five frowned a bit confused by his words, 'Who? Allison?' That didn't sound right. Allison had definitely been there before many times no doubt. He was certain she would convince Luther who was more or less her personal assistant and bodyguard to take her or her sister would get her there on a dare.

'No,' snickered Ben and raised his hand.

When Five turned around to the direction, Ben was looking he spotted a short figure jogging toward them, her long hair like a wail following her in the wind.

'Vanya,' mouthed Five before he could stop himself and shot Ben a look, who pulled the most nonchalant face on Five ever so and still didn't believe it a bit.

'Allison wanted another girl, and I figured she wouldn't be threatened by Vanya since she's so quiet and nice,' he grinned at him, and Five would have told him where he could shove that grin just as Vanya finally reached them.

'Sorry, am I late?' she asked breathing a bit harder from the running.

When she looked up at him, he turned away as if he suddenly couldn't get enough of the view of the haunting house while he heard Ben calmly say, 'No worries, we just got here. Come on.'

'Okay,' she said softly, and they started to walk up the hill toward the house.

He was so killing Ben for this later. Some piece of shit of best friend he was for doing this. As much as desperately Five _tried_ to convince his friend he didn't like Vanya any other way than a maybe friend, the other boy didn't believe him one bit. Clearly purposely arranging situations where they would have to meet together. What did Ben expect? That Five would try to hold her hand or admit to anything? He was being a dickhead for no reason. Five didn't even think Vanya liked him. He was almost sure she preferred Ben since she constantly walked home with him. Right?

'So does it have a scary story?' he heard Vanya ask and realized just how close she was to his side.

Ben didn't say anything and unless Five wanted to embarrass her with her question not being acknowledged at least he would have to talk to her.

He glanced at her and then lowered his head feeling like an idiot as he started to speak, 'Just the traditional stuff. It's empty for a long time. The last owner moved out during the night. Kids come and go tell scary stories, summon ghosts, play with Ouija boards.'

'Spooky,' she commented softly again almost like she whispering, and Five could see she moved her hand maybe to brush her hair.

He looked at her asking honestly, 'Are you afraid?'

She shrugged her shoulders casually, but he could tell she was a bit nervous. He was too, but probably for a different reason than her. 'I have never been to a house like that before so a little bit, but it helps that we're all together, right?'

Five nodded and was about to smile at her when Ben turned around causing him to look away and brush the back of his head no to look so obvious. Not that it would help since Ben knew exactly how much Five _liked_ Vanya. He was definitely getting a new best friend after tonight. Absolutely.

'Looks like everyone is already here,' his best friend said, and Five and Vanya looked over his shoulders to be greeted by Luther and Allison waving at them, and Diego rambling about something to Klaus who was smoking seemingly oblivious to the world around him.

Five sighed trying to look on the bright side of things. He would spend some time with Vanya. Maybe even away from these clowns. Maybe it wouldn't be so horrible. Maybe it wouldn't be horrible at all. ' _Great_.'

* * *

**A Week Ago**

Vanya watched the typewriter in her room ever since she woke up. She wasn't sure if an hour or two had passed just that she woke up and felt compelled almost lure to the item like a sailor was to a siren. Allured to his damnation.

It felt as if the walls and floor were bent and everything including her seemed to have been falling right to the opposite side of her room, right at the typewriter sitting at her desk like it was the center of the room, the center of the earth.

_She hated it._

Despite the unnatural sweet melody, it was calling her with Vanya felt in the essence of her soul that she hated it more than she ever hated anything in her life feeling like she couldn't breathe and wanted to scream out loud from the top of her lungs in utter hater at the thing.

Almost as much as she wanted to sit behind it and write a story.

_Yes, a story, a lovely, nice story. A fantasy story, a horror, a drama, a love-_

'Vanya,' she heard Leonard's muffled by the door voice as he knocked breathing the intensity of the moment, freeing her from the hypnosis of the typewriter like so many times before ever since she met him.

The brunette gasped as she realized she was now sitting at the desk already typing without even realizing it.

Fear crept into every cell inside her body like the ice-cold wind on a winter day.

'Vanya?' she heard Leonard call her name once again freeing her from the numbness of her most secret desire, _to write a bestseller,_ and she grabbed the page ripping it apart hurrying to get dress and ready for work before she would be late, 'I need a minute.'

Once she left the room ready for her day if not by her emotional state at least by being dressed and carrying the tool of livelihood, her violin inside her case, she felt the familiar mixture of sadness, annoyance, and the feeling of claustrophobia as she was greeted with Leonard's smiling face and the breakfast he made especially for her, 'Sorry, I'm late.'

He checked the watch, 'I could give you a lift that way you could eat up.'

Vanya shook her head and rose her hand further revealing how much she was opposite the whole thing, 'Really, I rather go. Sorry.'

She pulled her violin case higher and walked to the door bowing her head so she wouldn't see the hurt look on his face that always made her feel so damn guilty, 'Right, of course, forget it.'

She closed her eyes forcing herself not to feel so horrible about his comment and put her shoes on, 'Did you have any luck on the apartment hunting?'

He came over and grabbed her violin case so she could put on her shoes. She hated when he did that. If she wanted him to hold her violin case, she would have asked for it, furthermore, she knew how to put her shoes on even with the case on her back. She did so million and something times by now. She wasn't a lightweight or fragile little girl.

'Not yet, but soon I will be out of your hair, I promise,' he said and tried to touch her shoulder, however, she made it look like she went to grab a scarf avoiding his touch, but made the mistake of seeing his sorrowful face that always triggered her guilt.

She pressed her lips tightly cursing the need to please _him_ and _every single person_ she ever met that made her life that much harder, 'Look, it's _fine_ , take as much time as you need. I don't mind, really.'

His face instantly lightened up, 'Thanks, Vanya, you….you're just the best.'

She shook her head and tried to offer a weak chuckle before she raised her hand for her violin case waiting for him to return it to her, 'No problem.'

He went to give it to her but at the last minute stop making her stomach drop, 'You know. I want to make it up to you. You have been really so understanding about me staying here, and I just think you're so great and all. How about I will make you dinner? Tonight? How about it? Your favorite. And then we could watch one of those movies you like. It will be a nice relaxing evening.'

She almost barked out _for whom?_ but stopped last-minute reminding herself, there was no point in being hostile not that she would even know how to be like that since every time she tried to show some dominance some fight, Leonard looked at her with his sorrowful eyes causing her mind to turn on her by telling her what a _horrible person_ she was to him, 'I don't think that would be a very good idea, Leonard.'

'Come on, we're already roommates. We could be friends,' his smile, the one she used to love so much made her feel so incredibly annoyed right now she watched to slap it out of his face, 'We were before.'

'No, we weren't,' she found herself saying all too quickly feeling a bit better as that smile of his fell once he realized she wouldn't be so easy to butter up today.

She took her case while he was still surprised and tried to explain, 'Look, we broke up, and this is a temporary situation until you find your own place, and I don't want to force you to the street or anything, but I don't think we can be friends after what happened. Let's just…try to be civil.'

Then she made her next mistake but remaining inside the corridor to see the heartbreaking way he was looking at her which caused the confidence she felt a moment ago to fade away again, 'Maybe in a couple of weeks or months, we can work on the friends' thing, but not right now. It's…too soon.'

He seemed to come to terms with it and nodded, 'You're right. You're right, Vanya. I'm pushing you. I've been talking about it with my therapist, and you're totally right, and I shouldn't be suffocating you like this. It's just hard.'

He reached out and the door behind her stopped her from making another dodge away from his touch.

His hand caressed her cheek forcing goosebumps up the back of her neck and anger mixed with panic to raise inside her gut, 'You're just so _amazing_.'

His eyes shined with emotion that used to make her happy but now only brought her pain and conflicted feelings about how much of a bad person she was for not loving such a wonderful person, 'I love you, Vanya. I still love you.'

Her hand managed to reach for the handle and open the door, 'I'm sorry, Leonard.'

She got out finally catching a breath of fresh _free_ air that wasn't completely filled with him, his presence, his smell, his voice, his _everything_.

It almost made her feel better all together before she heard him call out after her as she walked to the stairs, 'We can talk about it later tonight.'

Her stomach dropped again, and without a second word, she made a run for the entrance and outside. Unfortunately, now it didn't serve as a relief to be out of Leonard's presence as his words haunted her reminding her that once she would get out of work, and came back home, he would be there waiting for her trying to talk and push their boundaries and fill her space with his obnoxious and demanding presence that used to be a cure for her loneliness, but now became a curse worse than the one she asked for seventeen years ago the night Ben got-

_Ben -_

It started to rain a bit, and Vanya felt her frustration hitting its limits as she forgot her umbrella and would be running late soon if she didn't hurry up while feeling like all she wanted to do was to lay in a nice bed not dreading the typewriter in her room as well as Leonard's knocking and a sweet voice asking her mundane questions trying to get into her space all over again. Her home used to be sacred, her bed used to be sacred, her life used to be sacred, but then she let Leonard into all of them and now it felt ruined never completely hers. Never alone. Never herself.

'Vanya,' she heard someone call out her name between her thoughts and the rain falling down, but she misinterpreted it as her own mind pulling another trick on her.

'Vanya,' she heard again and felt someone lightly tapped her shoulder causing her to spin around confused with everything going on inside her head.

When she saw the man in front of her, she felt like the rain, the people, time and everything else around her stop for a second before all it all came back crashing to her like a gigantic wave causing the last piece of thread that was holding her together to rupture and everything to break free like a damp.

' _Five_.'

* * *

**Now**

When Five spotted Vanya at the gas station his heart stopped and whatever insane story Klaus was telling him got silenced for a second as the wave of relief hit his entire body and mind for the first time since he last spoke with her allowing him to breathe. The last time they spoke, she told him she bought a car and would tell ex to leave and then drive to Pawnee. He wanted to take her, but she assured him she could handle it, and as much as he _hated_ the idea of her dealing with anything on her own, he swallowed his complaints and needs in favor of her own choices.

However, when he couldn't get a hold of her during the night or next day, he went almost insane with fear tempted to call the police and fly to Boston that very night only for his private detective to assure him that Vanya did purchase and old car and drove away alive and well seemingly with several bags of her things. Five didn't care what happened between her and her ex as long as she was finally out of that apartment that killed her softly and now in front of him. He was jealous. It was illogical. He trusted Vanya's word that for her he was just her ex, but for him, he was her ex was just an ex who leashed himself on the goodness of her heart to have a free place to stay and hopefully get back together with her.

'Is that-?' asked Klaus, but Five ignored his question and rushed over to the woman startling her as she jumped a bit away only to chuckle probably out of embarrassment, 'H-hi.'

He took her into his arms breathing her in fully allowing his entire being to come to terms that she was there alive and alright.

She hugged him back letting her face press against his chest for a few moments maybe doing the same before Five leaned away to look at her properly, 'What happened? Why didn't you pick up?'

She licked her lips and shook her head looking seemingly relieved and better just because she saw him too, 'He started begging and tried to talk…it was so exhausting and frustrating. I felt so horribly guilty and then _angry_. Like really pissed.'

Five grinned upon hearing that and Vanya chuckle as well. Their mutual hysteria and relief over being together again getting to them.

'So we argued. It was bizarre. We _never_ argued, and I felt like it was the first time I actually saw who he really was,' she frowned all of the sudden, 'I didn't like it at all.'

Five brushed her shoulder in comfort for whatever she had to be through to get out of her apartment while she continued, 'He kept on saying how _I_ forced him to move and now he had no place to go and how I was being a bitch. So I just closed the door to my bedroom packed everything I could and need and told him he could keep the stupid apartment. I just wanted to get out, and I felt he wouldn't leave until I would call the cops and that would only waste me more time. So I left,' her smile fell completely, 'Shit, did I really left my apartment to him?'

Five took a hold of her face, 'I can kick him out or buy you a new apartment.'

She shot him a look, but he carried on already feeling in his heart he didn't care about any of that as long as Vanya was in his arms, 'Or we could live-'

'I need money for the bending machine,' said Klaus all of the sudden cutting him mid-sentence with a raised hand, 'There is a snickers bar that I'm dying to show a good time.'

Five looked up at the man for a few moments brain dead not sure how to responds to such a rude and out of nowhere request before Vanya asked, 'Klaus?'

'Vanya!' called out the man even if he was standing right next to her so there was _no need_ for him to raise his voice so loud.

He threw his hands over the both of them in a bear hug causing Vanya to giggle while Five groaned, 'I feel like the Beatles are coming back together, don't you?'

It felt like forever since Klaus let them go and all three of them took a step back from each other.

'We can stop by a dinner in town and eat, but we shouldn't waste too much time,' said Five, and while Klaus whined like a stubborn child, and Vanya nodded with understanding. No point in losing time when they had too much to do.

He did give Klaus the money he needed for the vending machine so he could buy him and Vanya a few more minutes, 'I was worried.'

'I'm sorry,' she said honestly and stroke his face with care and love behind her eyes. He felt better and braver just by having her this close, 'But I promise it will be okay now.'

Five nodded and leaned down pressing a quick and chaste kiss to her lips missing the feeling and taste of them ever since he was forced to part with her in order the set the whole thing up.

She offered him a small smile afterward as if she was reading his thoughts. The dark clouds of what was yet to come for them as far away as possible in that precious moment just like it was a week ago.

_It would be okay. It had to be. They wouldn't allow it any other way. For Ben and for themselves._

* * *

**A Week Ago**

She started to cry.

It was irrational and crazy-like to cry in front of a man, she hadn't seen in seventeen years since they were both kids, but at that moment, Vanya lost the last bit of courage, balance, and sanity that was holding her together and let it all out right there on the street barely a block away from her apartment in front of her first childhood love.

'Hey, hey, Vanya, what's wrong?' asked Five his hands now on her arms, his voice so soft and concerned, 'Talk to me? What happened? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?'

She kept on shaking her head sobbing and crying not able to stop and explain what was going on, not even sure how would she explain what was going on, just letting it all run out with the tears sliding down her cheeks.

'Okay, come here,' Five said and guided her a bit to the side of the sidewalk shielding her from other people just holding her for a while, 'What's wrong?'

'I'm-I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,' she tried to talk not sure if it was coming out the right way.

'Okay, just calm down, breath,' he said and then pulled her against his chest causing her to sob into his expensive suit while he pressed his hand against the back of her head.

She raised her palms and fisted his clothes falling into the comfort of his embrace like one would into a pair of warm comfortable slippers just his size.

She didn't care why he was here or how did he recognize her. She was just grateful that he was forgetting about everything that made her soul so heavy for those few moments he held her.

Once she finally let all the tears, she could out, she still didn't let him go feeling humiliation that crept up on her nothing compare to the satisfaction of feeling free from all her worries even if for a brief moment, 'I'm sorry.'

'You already said that,' he chuckled, and his palm brushed her head again, 'Don't worry about it. Do you want to talk about it?'

'I'm just tired,' she said again not elaborating further.

'Are you hungry? We could stop for a bite?' he asked, and she sighed.

'I can't. I have to catch the train, or I will be late for work,' she said her voice sounding better even if she could hear how down she sounded about the prospect of cutting her surprising meeting with Five this short because she spent ten minutes crying her eyes out against his fancy suit.

Her rejection didn't seem to affect him as he quickly checked his watch while still keeping one of his hands on her shoulder. Unlike, with Leonard, Five's touch wasn't unwelcoming, and it didn't cause her to feel suffocated and upset when he held her close.

'Where do you work? I can drive you. That would spare you some time, right?' he asked and looked up at her with his hopeful green eyes that made it hard to say no, but not in the guilty way Leonard's did.

She brushed her damp hair, 'Uh, yeah, okay, Icarus Concert Hall. It's a fifteen-minute drive.'

'So coffee and something to eat?' he asked and offered her a smirk that caused her heart to speed up and turn her in the thirteen-year-old girl that used to steal secret glances of him whenever he was close by looking the other way. Oh, she forgot just how much of an effect, Five had on her back then and apparently still had.

She declined Leonard's breakfast not so long ago rather starving that to give in to any of his generous traps again, but Five's offer didn't cause her to feel threatened like, she needed to get out while she still could. It made her feel excited in a way she hadn't in a very long time, 'Yes, that would be great.'

'Come,' he said and leaned away brushing her back and shoulder while looking at her with calm fondness she used to see behind his eyes from time to time when they were kids not really knowing what it was or what should she do with it until now.

He took her hand, and she let him without any objection led her through the street toward his car quickly driving to her work and walking her to the small coffee place nearby.

It was strangely surreal and beautiful to meet Five, to see Five, to talk to Five, to be in Five's presence at all. Vanya felt like she was young again full of hope and possibilities able to reach any dream she could possibly have with her hands. Their car ride and coffees ended far too quickly for her liking, and she found herself actually wondering if she couldn't ditch work and stay with him just a little bit longer.

'Do you allow audience during your practices?' he asked as he walked her to the front entrance the rain stopping completely, but the weather remaining sour which didn't bother Vanya at all as she was only focused on Five now.

She shook her head apologetically, 'Sorry.'

He grinned, 'You still say that a lot.'

She looked away hoping, she wasn't blushing too obviously. He told her that once during their countless walks home together when Ben was out of earshot.

' _You don't have to apologize so much. It loses its meaning,_ ' thirteen-year-old Five told her when he walked closer to her. She thought he was being mean to her, but when she looked over at him, he was smirking at her only to hide it once Ben turned around making Vanya feel like she just figured out a small secret about Five, something, not even his best friend knew. It warmed her heart, and she couldn't stop smiling throughout the whole evening leaving her parents puzzled about what happened.

'I will wait for you after your practice then,' he told her completely catching her by surprise before she let out a way too loud and excited, 'Yes, okay!'

His smirk started to shift into a smile, and she quickly rushed up the stairs before she would embarrass herself more for the first time feeling free from everything that haunted her since she was a pre-teen.

Despite her best effort, Vanya's mind kept on wandering back to Five hoping he would still be there once her practice would be over. It was seventeen years since she last met him, but his new appearance was not new to her. She would be a liar if she didn't admit at least to herself that from time to time and a glass too many of red wine, Vanya googled the tech tycoon feeling flushed just by staring at how handsome of a bachelor he had become over the years. Vanya always knew he would be gorgeous. Even as a kid he was classically good looking causing her weak heart and brain numerous shutdowns whenever he smiled or smirked or looked at her in that special way. After Five, she never experienced a crazy lovesick crush again which was a blessing for many reasons but mostly because that way Five would always remain as someone very special in her heart. _Her first love._

By the time she made it out of the concert hall, the wonderful euphoria of seeing Five left her, and she was left with doubts that threatened to consume her again until she spotted him standing by his car with a bouquet of flowers waiting for her as he promised, 'I hope these are okay.'

_Lilies_

'They're perfect,' she said touched by the gesture, 'Thank you.'

He opened the door for her as he did before and then went to his driver's seat not wasting any more time apparently.

The ride was silent. Not even the radio was playing, but Vanya didn't mind at all completely swallowed by Five's presence. She watched him openly not bothered to hide it as he drove, watched the road, breathed, _anything_ trying to memorize it as best as she could and convince herself it was real and not a fantasy cooked up in her delusional mind trying to trick her into _writing-_

He took her to his hotel, and she visibly groaned as she glanced at her casual hoodie, jacket, and jeans and the fancy-looking downstairs restaurant, but instead of going there, Five led her to the elevators, 'Don't worry, I wouldn't embarrass you like that.'

He winked at her knowingly, and she relaxed again trying to convince herself the only reason they were in his luxurious hotel room was because he wanted them to eat somewhere nice and for her not to feel uncomfortable nothing else. _Nothing more_.

Once they were inside, she carefully placed her violin case down and then jacket and scarf on the nearby chair, 'You're really rich, hm?'

He rolled his eyes and asked sharply, 'Do you want me to pay your mortgage?' It was probably meant to be a hard joke, but Vanya had a feeling it carried some truth to how people now viewed him and what they seemed to expect and demand of him. It was also very Fivelike. Brutal and honest to the point in made you uncomfortable.

However, unlike a stranger, she was used to it. They used to be close. She used to love him more than anyone, 'And beach house, please.'

His laughter was rough but honest and open. She wasn't the only one chained by something.

She made her way to the window with automatic blinds looking at the gloomy city under them. Top floor, most expensive, best view. Vanya was never this high before in her entire life. It was delirious and beautiful, paralyzing, and thrilling.

Five ordered all kinds of food.

She raised her brows at him when he was done, 'What are you doing? Will we even be able to eat all that?'

'You should try it,' he put his phone away and then pulled down the suit jacket and toss it over a nearby couch. It was a gigantic room, too large for a single person, too empty and too lonely.

'You don't always have to do things because they're right. Sometimes just do them because you want to. Because you would like to,' he stepped closer to her.

The room was large, but he was too close, however, the feeling he awoke inside her was not the same claustrophobia and lack of air as Leonard did.

'Are you ever selfish, Vanya?' he asked looking at her with the intensity that was new of course. A child could never have a gaze like that.

'Why am I here?' she asked finally, her voice a bit husky.

'Do you want to leave?' he asked neutrally hiding his feeling about the answer.

'I don't like games,' she said wrinkling her nose at the way he asked her a question instead of answering. She hated when people did that.

'I think all of us hate _games_ ,' he said his voice different now, and she immediately regrated her words almost apologizing again before he put his hand on her shoulder, 'I wanted to talk. I…I have been thinking about you a lot. After it happened…but also now, since the beginning of the year. I know it's…it's been so long, but,' his voice was soft now, honest, vulnerable as was the look in his eyes, 'I started to think of you, and just like that…I missed you. I know it's sounds-'

'I get it,' she said swallowing to get her voice under control as she feared it sounded too much like a wounded animal, 'I saw pictures of you and…I don't know. I once almost called you.'

His hold tightened, but not in a way that he wanted to hurt her or made her feel uncomfortable, 'Why didn't you?'

She gave him a look, 'After so many years? What would I have said? Hi, it's me, Vanya. Remember the girl from Pawnee? I'm just calling because I have this sudden urge that I miss you?' she asked trying to make a funny voice but failing as she revealed all too much that it was exactly what she wanted to do.

Her eyes looked around the room again rather than at the alluring and strong look behind his green eyes. How is it possible that they looked even greener than they used to? How? When she was thirteen, she wrote a childish poem about them that she later burnt along with anything else she wrote. If she would try harder, she would be able to remember but for now, all she could recall on such short notice was.

_I got willingly lost in the mysterious forest of your eyes never wishing to be found_

She licked her lips, 'How would I even get your number?'

He was quiet for a moment. She thought he must have realized how stupid that sounded before he confessed shocking her, 'Your name is memorized by every one of my secretaries and assistants. In case you ever call they are to contact me immediately.'

Her eyes widened at the new information.

Her heart started to beat fast and her palms sweat as slower than ever Vanya turned her head to look at him again everything inside her spinning around what he just told her. They were thirteen. They were kids. They shared one kiss, a handful of moments, and a moment so traumatic it should have scared them for life to never want to see a reminder of again, yet the way he spoke, and held her and how she felt completely addicted to his presence in such a short time, it almost felt like they were in love all this time, waiting for one another, destined to meet again, to be together again.

He leaned down closer to her, and if he had kissed her, she would have let him. She would have buried her hand into his dark hair, she wished to brush when she thirteen just to feel them, and she would have kissed him back harder and deeper, taking and giving as much as she could.

_If he had kissed her…_

The knock on the door caused them both to take a step back and for Vanya to almost hit the window, 'Room service.'

Five groaned visibly annoyed frowning at the door like his worst enemy was waiting behind it before he walked toward it to let the people in.

Vanya took the time to turn around and look out of the window to compose herself.

They sat down on the large couch instead of the table, 'Try everything.'

She stole another glance at him, but he was looking at his hands rather than at her as he followed up, 'See what you will like.'

She unintentionally bit her lip thinking that she already saw what she liked, but she was far too sober to admit it out loud. Her eye fell on the many dishes of food before she did just that. Tried all of it.

It was delicious, and she couldn't stop eating losing all embarrassment and shyness. It was the best food she ever tasted. All of it. And she felt stupidly too good at that moment to hid how much she enjoyed it. She knew the noises she was making were highly inappropriate, but she didn't care. _It was so good._

'You spoiled me,' she tried to complain knowing he could hear the truth inside her voice of how much she was enjoying herself.

'Good,' he said, and she looked over at him seeing the dark look behind his eyes but also hearing the amusement in his voice, 'We can't have you to be this _holy_ and never experience how tasteful life can be.'

She rolled her eyes feeling her cheek get hot again over his words before he asked, 'Today on the street… did something happen?'

For a second, she felt the stab of reality inside her chest knowing this was a beautiful _distraction_ that would have come to an end sooner or later.

His face visibly softened, 'We don't have to talk, I just think that there is something going on in your life, and it's a lot, and if you want to talk to me about it we can. It might help.'

She offered him a smirk, 'Since when are _you_ good at talking, Five.' She remembered how much of a quiet type he was, almost a loner and sulker with Ben the only person he seemed to want to interact with and occasionally her.

However, he didn't take the bite to change the topic or joke around, 'Since I realized sometimes talking helps, and it's important.'

He meant it. She could tell he did. I caused her to hesitate for a second before she started, 'My ex is living with me, and it's not good. I…I want him to leave, but also I don't want to be a…a _bitch_.'

He raised his eyebrows, 'Whoa, such a nasty word coming from you, Vanya.'

'Shut up,' she shoved him a bit easing up by his comment before she followed up opening herself to him and what was going on inside her life and head, 'It's my fault. I wanted us to move in too quickly and now he has no place to go, and he lost his job so he lives on my couch. It's… _suffocating_. He wants to get back together, but I don't, and it's hard to see him and feel so damn guilty about it all the time and stand my ground when he's there all the time.'

Five's amusement disappeared and instead, he looked upset now, 'Is he bothering you? Like doing it on purpose. Because I can make him leave if that's-'

' _No_ , I …I just wish _I_ had the strength to make him leave without help from anyone. I'm not stubborn or anything. I can ask for help,' she added quickly argue trying to explain as she could see he wanted to, 'But this one thing…is something _I_ want to do on my own,' she told him firmly pressing a hand against her chest hoping he would understand her to need to be the one in control in this situation. She was never dominant about anything in her life. Mostly she followed the rules made by her parents, her teachers, other senior people in her life, her bosses, her co-workers, and boyfriends and girlfriends. She knew it made her a bit of a pushover, but up until now, she basically didn't think it was a bad thing to try and avoid conflict if she wasn't too invested in anything. But ever since she finally found the courage to end things with Leonard knowing they were heading nowhere, and she was only leading him on so she wouldn't be facing her demons alone, she felt like she couldn't find more inside her to make him leave her life fearing if he didn't as much as if he did finally leave which threw her into even more insanity than she already experienced.

'I get that,' he said and looked away his frustration a bit less noticeable as he must have started to rationally think about it, 'Your problem is that you're too nice to people. You always were. Even if they treated you poorly and walked over you, you tried to avoid conflict and be on their good side.'

He looked at her again his eyes gentle even if the rest of his face still revealed he was upset, 'You should channel all the reasons why you don't want to be with him and what annoys and frustrates you about him still living with you. Once you get all boosted up to about them, then tell him to leave. By the time you will catch guilt the conversation will be over. Or tell me and I will get him to leave. I will intimidate him,' he said a bit smugly.

She raised her brows, 'What you will call your security guards?'

'You don't think I can be intimidating?' he asked almost offended which caused her to giggle just to push his buttons more.

Vanya brushed her hair behind her ear for a moment looking at him. She felt too good. She felt so good to be in Five's presence like this, away from Leonard and the mess inside her apartment, away from the typewriter and the mess inside her life, and she wanted to hold onto that feeling of blissful peace for as long as possible. She really did, but at the same time, she _wanted_ to talk to him about it. She wanted to ask him about it. He was one of the only people who would understand it all and her and what it felt like, maybe the only one. There was a reason she liked him. Not just his appearance, but also his character, his mind, his soul. Five understood her. She could tell from the little moments they shared in private. They fit well. They were the same in ways. They could have been more than first crushes and first loves.

'Can I ask you something? About your work?' she asked, and watched as the corner of his lips rose up into that charming smirk of his, 'A business advice? I should start charging for those.'

She would have rolled her eyes at his attempt at another joke, but instead, she put her hand on his wrist to make him see she was being serious.

His face sobered up, and he turned closer to her as she began to ask, 'When you start…well before you started did you feel this… _drive_ to work on something like that. This drive to continue day and night until you would make it. Until you would be _rich_. Richer than your mother?'

The sober look changed for a second into a sorrowful one as he must have recalled _his_ reward for Ben, his best and closest friend, not being with them, in this world, anymore.

However, he quickly forced his face into a mask, he must have practiced well over the years the same way she did and probably everyone who survived that night seventeen years ago, 'Like you were tired, but there was something inside you that forced you to work harder and more and more until…you achieved it. You felt restless and exhausted constantly feeling this-this-,' she shook her head with a sudden frustration over not being able to find the right word when words were ironically a part of her curse.

'Calling,' he finished, 'like a mission. You couldn't fail. You couldn't stop,' he said a distant look behind his eyes, 'I fell ill. Fever. I worked through it almost into a coma. My partners told me to rest, but my feet dragged me out of the bed. I worked until I literally collapsed. It was like I was possessed. Once I started,' he shook his head, 'I couldn't stop. I felt…like everything depended on me finishing my work and achieving greatness and yet like nothing _absolutely nothing_ mattered. I almost felt like I lost myself. I-me and my partner we weren't through hundreds of ideas and small companies and inventions and ideas, but I saw this one, and I just needed to make it happen. Everyone thought I went mad. I…,' he looked into her eyes with a sudden understanding and familiarity she felt like her own, 'I think I did. I think I legitimately went crazy.'

Vanya nodded and reached for the sleeve on her right wrist slowly unbuttoning it and removing her wristwatch to reveal the burned skin she hid under it for a few months now.

Five's eyes widened in shock, and he took the back of her palm to examine at the injured with a soft and caring look behind his eyes, 'What happened?'

She sighed, 'I used to write stories or poems or anything that came into my mind. But after Ben…I was-I felt guilty and scared about that night, and I couldn't bring myself to write anymore. But then years passed, and I decided to try it again. Just to write something, my mom found it,' her lips trembled as if she was cold the more she talked realizing how crazy and terrifying it all was. How much it was messing with her life, her head, her soul. _Everything_!

'She started to say how amazing it was. Like it's a _bestseller_ and my dad should publish it and…and I remembered Ben and my reward…and I just took it and burnt it in the kitchen. My mom thought I was crazy, but I felt…I felt this darkness and gravity inside me like…I could publish it, and I wanted to, but…I also couldn't. The next day, I destroyed every piece of _everything_ I ever wrote scared that…it could be good and that my parents would take it and use it behind my back. I…over the years. I destroyed so many things I wrote accidentally. It was… like I just stopped thinking and my mind drifted and the next thing I knew I was writing a hundred-page masterpiece, and I couldn't stop. My…my ex-boyfriend tried to hide a few things and publish them behind my back, but I managed to get them. He was the one who bought me a typewriter for my birthday. I fucking hate it so much, but no matter how hard I try I can never throw it away like it's haunted or- _protected_ somehow and every time I try to get rid of it I just _stop_ like I can't move thinking instead of throwing it away I should _use_ it,' she glanced down at her burnt skin.

'I started to break pens, and phones just so I would stop writing and typing. Once it was so bad I had to burn myself with boiling water for coffee just to stop writing,' she looked at Five again feeling her entire body falling into the exhaustion that was so typical for her, she was surprised she stopped feeling it for a moment when she was enjoying herself with Five, 'It's so… _tiring_ to fight it and half of the time, I'm completely losing it. I…I got so scared by it that I asked my boyfriend who I wanted to break up with to move in with me just so I wouldn't be alone with my thoughts and give in to it, but I don't-,' she started to sob again feeling tears gathering behind her eyes, 'I-I don't know if I can anymore, and I hate myself for being so weak and-'

Five pulled her into his arms again brushing her hair and pressing his lips close to her ear. His embrace firm, warm and familiar melting all the bad feelings inside her leaving her to feel better and calmer, 'You're not weak. Vanya, you're the only one who hadn't given in yet. The only reason why any of us is still alive. You're the bravest and strongest person I know. Vanya, you're-you're-,' he leaned away to look at her, but didn't let her go much to her relief as she needed his warm embrace now more than ever feeling tired, weak, and fragile, 'You're _amazing_ and _extraordinary_. Do you know?'

She shook her head before she pressed her forehead against his shoulder, 'What will we do? Five, I won't hold it in forever. I can feel it every day inside me pushing me to write something anything and-and it will get me. It got all of you, and I know it will get me too. I just know. You're a rich tycoon. Allison is a movie star. I read an article about Diego being rewarded some medal for his work as a detective. I'm sure Luther and Klaus got theirs as well. We can't fight it forever. We just can't. I…cant'.'

Five brushed her hair softly with care that she so desperately needed from someone other than Leonard, someone she actually liked, trusted, and wanted in her life to hold her, 'You won't have to fight it forever. I won't let it get you. I already have a plan. It's not a good one. It's dangerous and…but we have to do it. We have to try. For us…for Ben. We can try and succeed. The risk is worth it.'

Vanya closed her eyes giving into his words and his voice letting herself completely fall into his arms and find hope and home inside them desperate for one for so long, she forgot it could feel this good.

Five held her. He kept her inside his arms despite her tremble, feverish words, and cries. He just held her through all of it making her feel better than she had in ages. Making her feel free even if just for today. If tomorrow she would once again be haunted by her demons she didn't care. It was worth it to be free of them today in Five's arms.

* * *

**A Month Ago**

Five's flight to London was the most stressful experience ever. He tried to calm his nerves with a few drinks, but it didn't seem to work at all since his hands wouldn't stop shaking. He felt like he was going crazy.

At times out of the corner of his eyes he would have sworn he saw a pre-teen boy dressed the way Ben was that night standing close, but every time he turned around with his heart squeezed so tight he felt he might die, no one was there. He was grateful. Because if he did turn around and Ben or his ghost or whoever would be there, Five would probably die out of a heart attack right then and there.

Over the years his memories over the night became unreliable and clouded with new memories, thoughts, and dreams. He knew of the core events of what happened that night, but the details were hard to recall correctly. _The Faceless man_ …the monster that took Ben was one of that. He remembered the shapes and body of the creature. All upsidedown walking on all four, very pale and without a face, but whenever he tried to picture him all that filled his mind was the paralyzing fear of being close to the thing until he suddenly with startling realization saw his own face flash over the creatures head the whole thing sending chills through his body and forcing his hand to drink until he could chase the image away.

Now he forced himself to go over the events as precisely as he could and recalling every single detail about the game, the events, and the Faceless Man. It was hard. It was scary. But every time Five felt like it was too much, and he was losing himself in hysteria and agonizing fear his mind jumped to the moment he and Vanya kissed.

Just like that Five's head and body filled with a warm feeling of calmness, and he would relax over the image of her soft smile, and the feeling of their first kiss. So chaste and clumsy and perfect. The only moment of pure light from that whole night.

Every time the events became too much, Five would come back to the moment with Vanya and the feeling saving him from insanity and allowing him to once again re-live the night in his mind getting all the facts and details as close to what actually happened as he could.

Once he finally landed and made it to Hargreeves's mansion, he felt strangely wide awake as if all this time he was asleep and only now in this very moment he came back to the real world. Maybe that was true. How long has it been since he felt any thrilled? Ever since he became successful and rich everything seemed to come so easy to him. Everything he could want or ask for. It didn't satisfy him. Not even close. But that was the point. He asked for success and wealth, not for satisfaction or happiness.

When the enormous door opened Five felt a strange sense of deja-vu as the short butler, who opened the door stopped mid-sentence looking at him oddly.

Five coughed a bit, 'Hello.'

'My apologizes,' said the man, 'You just remind me of someone….'

It threw Five off, but as the butler didn't say anything else either he managed to get a hold of himself and spoke.

'I came to speak-'

'Yes, he was expecting you,' said the short butler quickly ushering him inside before closing the main entrance and leading him to a large lounge filled with paintings, trophies, and expensive furniture screaming _money_ and _class_ at Five. He had been to a number of rich places. He himself was richer than he ever dreamed of being. Yet, this place was _old money_. The kind you can't buy no matter how desperately you try.

His eyes caught one picture in particular of a young-looking man with a pretty woman and cute daughter. Five wasn't sure what was it, but the picture caused him to pause and for a second drift away into a time when he and Ben were like ten sneaking through his house during mom's important dinner party.

'Welcome,' he heard someone call out and finally looked away from the picture to look at the only other person in the room, Sir Reginald Hargreeves.

He frowned and walked close to the old man sitting in a large armchair like it was his throne. He was old. Older than Five expected close to ninety if he was to guess. Old people like that always left Five puzzled if he was never sure in what condition would their minds be in. Some were just as clever as they were when they were thirty while others seemed to have been slowly losing it.

Despite how expensive everything looked, it filled Five with disgust for some reason as he knew this was the man who owned the house where the faceless monster forced them to play the game and took Ben away. The man who could have stopped it all had he destroyed the house or warned them. It wasn't fair, but Five felt the sudden irrational hater toward the man as the owner of the hell they were forced to play a ruthless game that had no real winners.

'Have a seat,' said the man without any trace of accent whatsoever confusing Five a bit for a moment, 'Would you like to drink anything?'

Five was tempted to continue to stand, but in the end, did sit down opposite to him. A drink would have been preferred but with everything going on, Five wasn't sure he could handle another instead he swallowed away all his feelings toward the man and what happened that night in order to stay sharp and objective about whatever the man would tell him, whatever could help them, whatever could altered their fates.

'Let's just get started.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Seventeen Years Ago**

A very long time ago Ben learned that it was impossible to make everyone in every situation _happy_. He first noticed it when he was about four and his parents discussed if whose family they wanted to visit. They made a compromise that didn't really make neither of them happy, but it was an agreement that earned both sides some reward, so they had to go through with it. Ben's compromises were usually about prioritizing his parents' happiness above his own or most of his friends. That same year when their parents were discussing their visit, they sat him down and explained to him that he was adopted, so he wouldn't find out from someone else. He didn't really mind it all that much as long as his parents still loved and cared for him nothing really changed.

Once he started school, Ben came to the conclusion that his parents were the best. Five's mom was rather cold and strict, Klaus's parents were never around, Diego's dad was always mean and didn't like them playing in the house loudly, Allison's parents prioritized her sister, and Luther's dad liked to watch his brothers fight each other in the backyard. He never met Vanya's parents, but those he did met left Ben with the realization that his parents were simply the best. They spent time with him, but he allowed him to have friends and even stay out a bit longer than curfew during the summer and weekend. They always seemed to have a plan of what they will do together playing games and going somewhere. Ben knew he was lucky. Not everyone was like that. Not everyone had that. Maybe because he realized he was so lucky, he started to have doubts. Why should he be so lucky? What if he would mess up? Would his parents love him less? Would they start to treat him differently? Worse?

He didn't know where those thoughts came from or why couldn't he rationalize them the way he could other things in his life, but ever since then he tried to work harder and not cause any problems as if every time his parents argued or deal with something, it was somehow his fault. So he always tried to make a decision that would prioritize his parents' happiness. He did all his homework in advance. He didn't stay passed out or late curfew. He didn't lie. He didn't curse. He didn't drink or smoke. He tried to stay the golden boy even if it made him seem boring. It was a good thing that Five was his best friend since he didn't also study hard and had a mom who didn't like him to stay out late.

No matter how often he did everything to make his parents happy, sometimes he allowed himself to be pursued by his other friends like Klaus and go somewhere he shouldn't. He usually felt guilty enough that he told his parents, who thanked him for his honesty and told him to be more careful next time or to avoid the place like the junkyard or old kindergarten building that needed reconstruction.

He was pretty sure when Klaus asked him to come to the old house on the hill, Ben was sure it would not make his parents happy. How could it? He would be going into an old unsafe house in the dark. No parent would be happy about that. But the thing was sometimes, as rare as those occasions were, Ben liked to play with the idea of not always doing things which would make just parents happy. He wasn't sure why, but at times he felt this urge to make angry or upset with him just so he would be able to see it and know what it was like. He never confessed about it to anyway. Why would he? Everyone else's family seemed messed or troubled. No one would understand him.

Although the idea of going into a potentially haunted house in the middle of the night with Klaus gave him the creeps, he tried to rationalize it like he would any other problem.

If he went he would make unhappy his parents and maybe Five (who hated meeting up with a larger group of people), but he would make Klaus and Diego happy since the two liked to hang out with him more and more. If he decided to bring Vanya as well, he would make Five and Allison happy because she wanted to bring another girl but not anyone who would take too much of everyone's attention. Making Allison happy would mean he would make by proxy Luther happy because Luther was always happy if Allison was. They were a package deal since like kindergarten. Five would be happy since he had the biggest crush Ben ever saw on the girl, and he was pretty sure Vanya had just as big of a crush on him. Ben would be a liar which he wasn't if he didn't admit that it was funny to watch the two steal glances and secret smiles at each other behind his back when they thought he couldn't see them. It was funny and a bit cute. It was just a matter of time before one of them most likely Five would do something embarrassing which Ben would gladly use to tease the other boy as he was sure was a written rule in the best friends' book.

So in end, he would only be making his parents unhappy which maybe was the necessary evil in this whole situation.

' _You can't actually make everyone happy, Ben,_ ' Five usually said when he was dragged by him into situations he found annoying.

' _But you can try,_ ' argued Ben before he usually added only to himself, ' _And if you can't make all then you can make at least most of the people happy._ '

Unfortunately, as they entered the dark and old house, Ben felt some of that confidence leave him. Five and he had come to the house before, just like he suspected every other kid in Pawnee did during their lifetime, but never in the dark and with the Halloween only less than a month away.

'What lost the nerve, Ben?' asked Diego as he pushed him a bit further inside before they heard Five snapping at him from behind, 'Leave him.'

'Shut up,' replied the other boy which reminded Ben why it was usually either him and Five together, or him, Diego and Klaus. Five rarely played well with others, and rather preferred the solitude than spending too much time with people he didn't like which was basically everyone except for Ben and Vanya now.

'Let's just go,' said Luther leading the way into the large hallway, 'Okay, so my brothers told me they usually checked the house for any homeless people or other kids and then placed this bell on top of the door to hear if someone was coming in,' he explained and pointed the flashlight at the bell in his hand.

'What if someone comes through the window?' asked Five and crossed his arms just as Ben thought he heard something from their left.

'Who would come through the window and risk a nail into the hand if they could use a door genius?' asked Allison just as Ben pointed his flashlight to the left where he thought he saw something move.

'Look let's just split up and check the house, okay? My brothers do it like this all the time during Halloween and summer, kay?' asked Luther trying to gain control of the situation as Ben decided he must have just been seeing things. He didn't hear anything move. If someone was there, surely they would hear something too. Still, it did cause a shiver to run through his back and for him to jump when he felt Vanya's elbow touch his shoulder, 'Should we go that way?'

Ben looked over at her and then at Five who kept his arms crossed and looked like he would rather be anywhere else than in the moment but for a completely different reason than Ben. He spotted Klaus and Diego chasing each other up the stairs and Allison dragging Luther to the right side of the house, so he figured they would have to go left,

'Sure.'

The left side wasn't as big as the other parts of the house with only a small closet-like room down the hallway, and what looked like the entrance to the kitchen which they already checked and found nothing suspicious.

'No rats,' commented Five as they made their way up the kitchen stairs to the hallways again. Ben didn't even notice but now that his best friend mentioned it. It was a bit strange that there were no rats or any other forest animals, not even a cockroach or ant.

'Maybe they heard us or are afraid of the lights?' suggested Vanya as they made their way to the large room, that looked like a lounge with a very tall ceiling and the biggest antic mirror Ben ever saw in his entire life.

In the dark, with only the flashlight offering some light it looked even creepier than in the daylight causing the chills to run through him again.

He glanced over at Five and Vanya, but the two didn't look like they thought anything was strange looking around the room sometimes closer to each other sometimes apart. Ben would found it funny and even suggested something to cause them to be embarrassed, but he couldn't bring himself to do so as his entire body froze whenever he glanced back at the mirror.

_Was it colder in the room?_

He saw the mirror plenty of times but right now it looked clearer and unnerving. He wasn't a fan of horror movies, but he seemed enough to know it was just his mind playing a trick on him and trying to scare him. They were in a creepy old house in the middle of the night. Of course, he was freaking out.

Ben's flashlight blinked a bit which he found odd since he was sure he replayed the batteries this morning when he found it dead in his closet.

When his eyes lifted up to glance at the mirror he froze in place.

A second ago, he would have sworn, he was further from the mirror, maybe in the center of the room, now, however, Ben was standing maybe a few inches away. Close enough to see the color of his eyes and freckles on his nose even in the dark.

'Uh,' he let out weakly not sure what to think about it, or if he should think anything about it. It was a scary old house and the atmosphere would have freaked anyone out.

He tried to calm down and tell himself he probably just didn't notice he was walking so close to the thing before he felt a wave of ice-cold fear hit his body almost causing him to let out a startled scream if he wasn't absolutely paralyzed with fear at that moment.

His eyes were on his face when he realized he was close to the mirror, but when they moved lower to his body, Ben found something sticking out from behind the hand that wasn't holding the flashlight. It was just a small piece of something very pale and grey sticking just behind his hand. It didn't look like a piece of paper or spiderweb or anything he could have accidentally caught during their search of the house. It looked solid and wrinkled and Ben's heartbeat was so loud he was sure Five and Vanya hard to hear it eventually.

'Ben?' asked Vanya so close to him Ben jumped away from her and his reflection breaking the almost hypnotizing way whatever was behind his hand was forcing him to watch it.

'You okay?' asked Vanya with a hint of concern behind her dark eyes standing just as close to the mirror as he was before.

Ben glanced behind and then at his hand, but of course, it didn't look like anything was there. How could it? There was no furniture in the house except for the old mirror, he and Five knew that from their first visit during the daylight last August. It was probably just a spiderweb that looked weird or something.

He started to dust his hoodie just in case, 'Yeah, sorry, I spaced out a bit. This place is creepy in the dark.'

The girl nodded, 'Yes, for a second I thought I saw someone-'

'I can't believe you would do that!' they heard Allison's voice filled with furry as the other four pre-teens walked through the door into the large room. It looked like this would be their place of staying as Luther put most of the bags and supplies on the floor.

Diego was laughing so hard it took a while for him to be able to say anything, 'W-what scare you in a dark? Really?'

'NOT FUNNY!' she snapped at him and shoved him to the side which only seemed to make him laugh harder.

Luther rose his hand, 'Okay, new rule. No one will try to jump scare anyone while we're here.'

Klaus whined rolling his eyes, 'Seriously? You guys are so lame!'

'I'm serious. We can share creepy stories but no purposely scares, got it?'

Reluctantly, they all agreed although Ben had a hunch Diego and Klaus would try to bend the rule a bit.

They all started to walk toward the place Luther set the food and soda cans. Before Ben did the same he turned around to glance at the large mirror, but at the moment nothing seemed off. It looked like an old creepy mirror, but maybe because so many more people were in the room it didn't affect him as much as it did before.

Chuckling at himself and his delusions, Ben shook his head and made his way toward the group of his friends.

As he sat down, he told him, it was just an old mirror hanging on the wall in an old house. Nothing to be afraid of.

_Nothing to be afraid of at all._

* * *

**A Week Ago**

When Five woke up it was getting dark outside which didn't throw him as off as it would most of the people. He was a slave to different time zones and the torture of trying to get back to the right sleeping schedule after spending time away. However, what did surprise him at least was waking up next to Vanya's calm face directed toward his on an expensive hotel room bed.

Their clothes were wrinkled, but neither seemed to have the care or energy after their talk and Vanya's crying on the couch to leave the room and go home. It was emotional and exhausting, and all Five wanted to do was to hold her and keep her safe more than anyone in his life, maybe even more than Ben at that moment. He picked her up and carried her to the bed where they laid holding onto each other for dear life like two scared kids that maybe they never grew out of to be before they allowed sleep to take them away. While Five was dozing off he started to view Vanya and himself the way they looked as they were thirteen further adding to the concept that they were just two scared kids dealing with things too intense and exhausting for their young ages. It felt good to hold her. It felt even better to sleep next to her.

Five didn't check his watch, but he was positive it was close to 6.P.M at least. Instead of moving, he once again looked at Vanya and focused on her sleeping and calm face free of the horror of her life.

She looked better, more alive like this. It warmed his heart. It hurt to see her sad and in pain. It hurt to know she was hurting. He didn't think he would be this affected by her. It was years almost two decades since he last saw her, and yes from time to time, she crossed his mind as a reminder of a happy childhood and first kiss but then got buried under too many thoughts about work, stress, and _that night_.

Only once Hargreeves explained to him the dept of the curse did Five start to actively think about the girl he used to like and the woman, she became. A human mind was capable of making the most unrealistic scenarios so of course, a romantic thought about her crossed his mind. It was natural, but at the same time Five knew too much time had passed and neither of them was the same people they were when they were kids.

However, once he saw her, out there on the street close to her home, he froze. His private detective sent him pictures and address so Five knew how Vanya looked, of course, but the moment, he saw her so close he could touch her in real life, he felt everything in his life fall down like a house of glass. Was it even important? What in his life was even important or necessary? Money? Business? Besting his mother? Nothing, not even Ben and Five's guilt over that night matter for that first blissful moment he spotted Vanya completely losing the ability to speak or function upon seeing the petite creature in clothes two sizes larger and hair tugged by a hair tie. She was the most _stunning_ woman he ever saw.

It caused him another five seconds to restart his brain and run after her as he realized, he stopped in track and watched her leave like an _idiot_.

He ran after her and when she turned around for a moment, she looked like the thirteen-year-old girl, he used to have the biggest and ridiculous crush on.

_'She likes you back,'_ said Ben whenever he could so no one would hear them.

_'Shut up!'_ snapped Five horrified someone would hear them, anyone.

_'She does,'_ Ben assured him, always the optimist, _'Tell her, trust me.'_

But they were kids, and Five was embarrassed, so of course, he stayed quiet, and Vanya just like Ben slipped from his fingers into the unknown where he couldn't find her.

' _Five_ ,' she breathed out and started crying all of the sudden forcing a protectiveness that was so untypical of him to come out.

While he waited for her to finish at work, Five tried to unsuccessfully calm down. His private detective told him, she lived with a boyfriend, but the way she looked at him and let him touch her, he knew he wasn't imagining the connection and chemistry between them, she had to feel it as well.

She followed him to his hotel room and almost let him kiss her if they weren't interrupted. Then another dam broke, and she told him about her miserable life chained by the reward, she tried so desperately never to collect unknowingly protecting all of them. Ben deserved better, and Vanya was the best of them.

She woke up slowly next to him her palm pressed against his chest and her leg placed over his thigh.

He almost expected her to be shocked and confused, instead, she smiled softly and closed her eyes again as if she wanted to fall back asleep before she asked, 'Are you really here?'

'Yes,' he said pushing his hand against her cheek softly stroking it. It was a bit cold probably due to not sleeping under the covers. He should probably turn the heat on although he wasn't sure why wasn't it doing so automatically.

Vanya's brown eyes peeked at him again and a soft smile formed against her lips, 'I'm glad you're here.'

'Me too,' he confessed still stroking her cheek and looking into her haunting dark eyes. _So beautiful_ , 'We can beat this. We…we will have to go back and bring the others for a second round, but we can beat this.' Hargreeves didn't give him much faith, but Five didn't care, they had to make it out alive, they just had to. He just got Vanya back, and he wouldn't lose her. He wouldn't let her slip away again.

Vanya nodded against his palm, 'I believe you.'

He chuckled and frowned a bit, 'Good. One of us should.'

Her smile fell a bit, and he got worried he upset her and caused her to feel afraid. However, she slowly moved closer to him her face right in front of his only a few inches away. Her breath was warm and delicious against his lips.

'Five,' she breathed out loud tickling his face in the process.

Whatever she wanted to say next was swallowed by his lips as he pushed his fingers further into her brown hair that he used to like to watch dancing in the wind on their walks home and kissed her. It didn't even surprise him anymore that it felt like coming home, warm and safe better than anything he could have imagined.

Vanya deepened the kiss instantly her lips the softest and sweetest thing he ever tasted forcing him to shift his head and then the whole body until he was on top of her kissing her the way he imagined when he saw her standing by the hotel's window a few hours ago. When he was a boy, he fantasized about kissing her a lot. How would it feel and taste? Would it be good? Would he be good? It got his heart to speed up every time he thought about it. He only got to do it once on that fateful night that ruined them all. It was perfect then. Innocent and thrilling. The way all first kiss should have been. He cherished it for years grateful that it was one of his favorite moments from life in Pawnee along with those childhood friendly moments with Ben.

Now it was no different. It was exciting, sweet, but also _madding_ and _lustful_. Something only adults could understand and allow themselves to truly feel.

'Vanya,' he groaned breaking the kiss as he felt her raise her knees stroking his side pulling him somehow closer to her center. Their clothing was in the way.

He could barely see her eyes. The sun went completely down as they were too consumed by their kisses to notice.

He rose his hand. Grateful, that the nightstand was so close and turned on the small lamp on forcing Vanya and himself to blink painfully blinded by the light for a second.

Some of the desire melted away as she put her hands against his face and stroke his cheeks, 'Are you afraid of the dark?'

He swallowed sobering up a bit by the intensity of the question and the honesty behind his reply, 'Sometimes.'

She nodded letting him see a glimpse of fear not of hesitation over what they were about to do, but of what happened seventeen years ago which still haunted them whenever they closed their eyes or found themselves alone in the dark, 'Me too.'

His thumb caressed her lips parting them before he leaned down and kissed them like that. Open with his thumb between them in an almost filthy way.

When he leaned away again, her eyes were clouded again. The fear retreated.

'But I also wanted to see you,' he confessed with confidence pulling a smirk to ease her nerves even more earning a giggle and spark of amusement from her.

'Vanya,' he said and kissed her again getting lost in the sensation of having her in his arms on a bed free for him to take responding to every touch, every kiss, and every sound with the same eager passion he felt roaring inside him.

They stripped each other easily tossing their clothes careless of where they landed. They would find them tomorrow or never. Never sounded very appealing to Five as he settled between Vanya's legs giving her as much pleasure as he could trying to make up for whatever dull and mediocre sex, she had to suffer while they were apart.

'Tell me, did your ex ever made you scream like that?' he asked her every now and then before he would force another orgasm out of her not even caring about her answer since what did it matter? Her ex was just that a dull note in her past. Five was the one who had her spread out like this kissing, sucking, licking, and touching wherever he wanted to, moaning and screaming his name as he had hypnotized her, made her his personal instrument playing her whatever way he found fitting all while losing himself in the taste of her sweat and echoes of her moans and screams.

Everything faded away in the perfect harmony of them coming together over and over again until it was too much, and they couldn't anymore.

They laid in each other's arms too tired to move and too awake to fall back asleep.

Five leaned closer to her pressing his lips against the side of her face near her temple whispering, 'I had the biggest crush on you.'

He heard her giggle softly yet melodically like music to his ears and a cure to his soul while his body was perfectly exhausted and his heart full of _love_ for her.

She looked over at him rolling to her stomach facing him, her eyes were shining in the light from the nightstand lamp, 'You're my first love.'

'Can I still be that?' he asked brushing her hair away to reveal her face the way he wanted to when he was younger. She always hid her face behind her hair, and as much as he liked her hair, he dreamed he would have brushed it all away one day to see her clearly.

'Please?' he begged to lean closer smirking.

She grinned as if she planned to tease him, but at the last minute her face went tender looking at him with such _love_ no one ever did in his entire life, 'You already are, and you always be my first love.'

Five's heart speeded up as he felt the world around him shifting. Not with heated passion, but with something much softer, sounder, and far purer and perfect.

_'I want to be your last love too,'_ he whispered kissing her before she could properly think about or say anything else falling into the perfect moment ignorant of the horrors that awaited for them again.

* * *

**Now**

Klaus busied himself with the vending machine casually smoking the joint on the gas station close to his hometown, he hadn't set foot in more than thirteen years. He was barely seventeen and one of the guys in the bar he used to spend most of his time in offered to take him to the city and let him stay in his place. By then most of his friends were long gone and those who weren't were more shadows in the dark than actual people. Klaus blamed them a bit for it, even if he knew it was hypocritical of him. He did the same. He changed. He held it all in. He let Ben's hand go too.

' _They look happy,_ ' he heard a voice beside him whisper into the wind. The weed wasn't of good quality but beggars couldn't be choosers, and he would probably find even shitter things if any if Pawnee. The butt of America.

' _I always thought they would be good for each other,_ ' said the voice again, and Klaus dared to steal another glance of the couple. The height difference between 5 feet nothing Vanya and almost 6 feet millionaire should have made them look ridiculous, but with how handsome and adorable they look, Klaus had to admit they look like a nice couple. Fairytale cute.

'Don't make me gag before breakfast, _Benny_ boy _,_ ' he said and looked over his shoulder to take a peek at the tall Asian man standing there with a calm look on his face. He seemed glad to see them. He seemed relieved for them. It made Klaus wonder and not for the first time, just how peaceful the afterlife could be. Watching someone you care about ruin themselves must have been horrible but then again seeing them happy must have been better than anything in the world. He often wondered about that.

Klaus looked away and kicked the vending machine, 'Come on snickers!'

_'Five gave you cash for a reason, you know,'_ said Ben and leaned against the wall next to him _, 'To use it?'_ he offered helpfully but with a hint of sarcasm.

Klaus ignored him and looked around earning a groan from the other man, _'Seriously, Klaus?'_

Before he could say anything else the other man leaned down and tried to get some candy from the machine in a less acceptable way by pushing his hand through the small drop door, ' _No way, that will work.'_

Klaus shushed him rudely and processed to work knowing there wasn't much if anything his ghost buddy could do.

It started after a bad trip when he was about twenty. Klaus woke in the alley with some handsome Asian man looking down at him trying to wake up, ' _Come on, you will freeze to death._ '

He wasn't sure what he told him, but the man's voice was so annoying it pushed Klaus to get up and barefoot, since some good Samaritan stole his shoes, make his way to the nearest homeless shelter. It didn't take long for Klaus to realize his new _Kumpel_ , as his German granny who pretended not to know English to away speaking it would have said, was a bit stage shy and only appeared to him or as he put it, ' _I guess I'm only allowed to be seen by people who had a near-death experience._ '

Klaus rolled his eyes and replied that _everyone_ from that house had a near-death experience since they were being chased by a monster from their worst nightmare, but Ghost Ben didn't seem to have an argument for that.

Klaus wasn't completely on board with it and often thought of the cute Asian man as a fragment of his own imagination. He did drugs and a lot of them. Even he had to admit that couldn't be completely healthy. He knew people who got nuts like actually lost it, so would it be such a far fetch to assume he did as well? It took a long time since he finally accepted his _ghost_ friend was Ben.

_'Tell me something only Ben would know?'_ he asked him all the time during those first months between trying to use more, less, or none drugs to just to see if the Ben-shaped hallucinations would stop.

_'You stole Allison's sister's makeup and spent the next day playing hooky while trying it out,'_ said his companion much to Klaus's annoyance since how the hell could he tell now if it was real or a part of his own mind playing tricks on him? He could have tried to ask him something only Ben knew about someone else, but how would he even prove it?

_'Well, it looked better on me than her,' he_ commented winking at the lady on the street who shot him an odd look for talking to himself while he was also begging for some chase. He owned a lot of people those few months. Soon he would have to skip to another town or find temp living arrangements.

Ben let out a small chuckle, _'You did not.'_

Klaus allowed himself to look over at the man. The resemblance was uncanny. He was definitely a Ben lookalike down to the T, but it still felt a bit unrealistic then again. Klaus saw a monster, so anything could have been possible at this point.

_'Hey, do you know the winning numbers for the lottery?'_ he asked as the idea pop into his mind.

Ghost Ben snored at that a sound identical to how younger Ben used to react to Klaus's stupid ideas, _'How the hell would I know that?'_

It wasn't all bad. He was annoying, but no matter how many times Klaus told him to piss off forever, he never seemed to. Despite everything ghost Ben real or fake were a part of his life and the only one who stuck out through everything.

_'My name is Klaus and my reward… is to never be alone.'_

Klaus's parents were workaholics who didn't really like to spend time with each other let alone with their kid. At times, Klaus wasn't sure he even existed except that they left him money and food to survive. Before his granny died, she often took care of him but afterward he was free to do whatever he wanted. Klaus didn't really complain. What would he complain about? My parents let me do and go wherever I want? It seemed cruel to say out loud when he wasn't even sure how he felt about it or when Diego's dad was using him as a punching bag every other week. Ben's parents were sweethearts who asked about his day, grades, and friends every chance they could. No way, Klaus wanted to start a discussion like that with him. Besides when he had his friends around it was great. No one watching over their shoulders. They turned on the TV, radio, or whatever game they wanted and went nuts. When he was _alone_ …well that was when Klaus started to get bored and lonely wondering how to fill the void. When the others couldn't show up or didn't, he hang out with older kids and older people. It was fun. The bad habits came and went and well some stuck around longer than he would like them to. After what happened that night everyone sooner or later left, and with nothing holding him back Klaus left as well. It wouldn't say he lived a great life, but he definitely lived a fun and interesting one. He was often with people who he never would have imagined existed let alone met with. Come to think about it, he was one of those people.

Since he first appeared ghost Ben was constantly around him if there weren't other people and then even if they were. He was a part of his life. His reward.

_Never alone. Never again._

Sometimes when Klaus got too drunk or high, he cried like a baby wondering if it happened because of him. He won the game, and so he had to get his reward. Did Ben die just so he would never be alone again?

_'How did you die? After that…thing took you…how did you die?'_

_'Did it hurt?'_

_'Do you hate me?'_

_'Can you forgive me, Ben?'_

_'Please?'_

'What the hell are you doing?' he heard Five's annoyed voice breaking his ride down the memory lane as Vanya quickly shoved some coins into the vending machine.

Klaus offered her a brilliant grin chasing away his memories and ignoring the shake of head ghost Ben was giving him as he called out, 'Snickers, please!'

* * *

**Seventeen Years Ago**

'I'm surprised they asked Vanya to come,' commented Luther as he took the lead to the right side of the old house making sure no one was around. It wasn't the first time he was there far from it. When he was eight his brothers took him here on a dare and closed him inside one of the small rooms blocking the door so he couldn't get out.

The memory as unpleased as it was helped him learn that there really wasn't anything scary about the place unless you had a fear of spiders and the dark.

Allison's chuckle came right beside him as she made sure to be close by him to avoid any potential spiderwebs or animal excrements along the way, 'Seriously? I'm pretty sure Five has a crush on her.'

Luther shot her a look and shook his head with a sneer, 'Five? No way. The guy is as cool as a cucumber. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know what girls are for or cares.'

'Really?' asked Allison stopping which caused Luther to stop as well flashing the light at her but making sure not directly at her.

The girl put her hands on her waists in a Wonder Woman pose, 'Tell what, exactly are girls for, dear Luther?'

He felt the familiar embarrassment he sometimes did when talking to Allison especially lately and decided to give up, 'Forget it, not falling for that… _again_.'

The girl giggled happily and loud enough to give away their position if someone was around, but other than that they didn't hear anyone, 'I will take it as a sign of respect.'

'Sure,' he said with a small smile earning a weak shove from the girl as they continued to walk. He was pretty certain no one was around. Usually, if a person was around by now, they would have already heard them. He took Allison to the house a few times when she was bored and not in the mood to be in their usual spot. Her sister and her friends came here often too so it was obvious Allison wanted to come here with people for the same reason.

Luther didn't mind. He rarely minded any of Allison's ideas. They were friends since kindergarten or maybe even longer. He couldn't really remember the first time he met the girl just that she was always there, in his life, as a beacon of light away from his dad and brothers and their house. He cared for his family. Everyone cared for his family, right? It was just that sometimes it was nice to spend some time away from them. His brothers had friends, even if dad seemed to like them more then Luther's always inviting them over to watch sports and stuff, Luther tried not to be too bothered since Allison wouldn't like watching those anyway.

'Wait, did you hear that?' asked Allison suddenly turning somewhere behind them, and Luther chuckled, 'Right like I will fall for that one.'

She shook her head and shot him a look, but Luther knew her well enough to know she could be a great actress, 'No seriously.'

'Allie, you already tried that one on me the last time we were here,' said the tall boy but still pointed the flashlight somewhere behind them which was when they spotted something moving to the side away from view.

'What was that?' asked Allison with a hint of panic in her voice, but Luther tried to keep calm bragging the flashlight handle tighter. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to pull a prank on him in this house.

'Diego? Klaus?' he called out hoping his voice sounded firmer than he felt, 'If this is you don't bother.'

Allison glanced at him and then nodded crossing her arms, 'Yeah, nice try, you two.'

They both waited for a moment listening to catch Klaus or Diego's laughter, but nothing happened.

They shared a quick glance during which Luther was certainly more than anything it was still a part of their prank to freak them out. No way, he was trusting the two. It had to be them. If it was anyone else they would show themselves or make a sound already.

Allison then called out again trying to appear confident, Luther knew by now when she actually felt that way and when she just wanted others to think she was, 'Well, the joke's on you 'cause we're not falling for that.'

She then motioned for Luther to stay there and slowly made her way to the corner they spotted the movement. She was lighter and knew she had to keep closer to the walls to avoid the cracking wood in order to be silent. It would be easy to sneak up on whoever was hiding there.

'Yeah, come on out, you guys. Not funny,' called Luther still flashing the light in front of him so he wouldn't create Allison's shadow and give away her position as she was almost by the corner.

Just as she was about to jump it or maybe just look in the direction there was a loud shout which caused even Luther to jerk startled and let go of the flashlight as he felt the cold wind hit the back of his neck where the hoodie didn't protect him, and something press directly against the center of his back.

'MORONS!' shouted Allison angrily just as Luther turned around only to find the hallway empty and back at the scene where Diego and Klaus were laughing so hard the light from their flashlights danced across the walls and floor like they were at some light show.

'You two are such loser,' said Luther quickly jogging over and helping Allison who was sitting on her ass from the ground as she let out a pained groan, 'You okay?'

'I hit my side pretty hard. It will definitely leave a bruise.'

'Maybe Luther could kiss it better,' said Diego while Klaus made kissing noises that earned him a weak shove from Allison, 'Shut up. I could have seriously hurt myself.'

'Cry baby,' responded Diego only for Luther to let go of Allison and step in front of her, 'Hey, seriously, what's wrong with you? Also weren't you two supposed to checkup the stairs?'

'Relax,' waved Klaus looking careless of Luther's intimidating height and built a difference, 'We already searched the whole house when we came here like an hour ago.'

'That's not the point, anyone could have just missed you guys,' he said sometimes feeling like the oldest brother to all his lame friends wondering why was he even friends with them in the first place.

'Who died and made you the leader?' asked Diego waving his hand at him, 'Don't get your panties in a twist.'

'Come on,' Klaus hit his shoulder lightly and started to walk in the direction of the stairs while Allison mumbled something about how stupid they were, and Luther just watched.

Allison brushed her side letting out an annoyed and pained sound.

'You okay?'

She nodded and offered him a small smile, 'Let's finish here so we can start doing something fun. Why did I invite those two clowns again?'

'Because they're _fun_ well a pair, clowns. The same thing really,' he offered and smirked which got her to giggle again and nod. It was better than seeing her upset for sure. It helped Luther forget all about the strange occurrence before. It was probably just wind anyway.

* * *

**Now**

Tagging along with Five and Vanya was kind of like watching a romantic indie film you already guessed the ending to, so more often than not Klaus took the time to sleep or listen to Ben's commentary of their road trip.

'I would have been happier if this was Euro trip 2,' muttered Klaus at one point which earned him a confused look from Vanya.

He shook his head, 'No worries, honey.'

They got to some shitty looking motel which didn't look as shitty as most places Klaus had spent the night, so he couldn't complain too much.

_Pawnee's Jewel_

He couldn't even remember a nicer looking place in town so it might as well be.

The lovebirds were clearly trying to get some more alone time, so he took his leave making it somewhere to the main desk or maybe another vending machine when he spotted a fine looking ass coming from one of the room and making him stop in the track.

_Crap!_

He would recognize that ass anywhere. Unlike with the rest of his friends or fellow survives, he saw Diego not that long ago when he was staying with some old queen in his New York place for the summer. But of course, the summer ended and the man's husband returned so Klaus had to leave. He wasn't particularly fond or annoyed with the city so he stuck around for a bit longer not sure where to head next when a damn good-looking cop crossed his way.

To be fair, Klaus wasn't looking for trouble or hot cops then. He was just minding his own business waiting for the molly, he got a parting gift from one of his friends, to kick in and take him away for a moment.

'Damn it, Klaus!' snapped Diego and pushed him away from him when the other man tried to hug him.

_So rude!_

Then again, Diego was never the hugging type, to begin with so it was fair.

'This is my life, not something you can come into and mess around whatever way you find it fitting.'

Klaus grimaced shaking his head. The molly he took already started to kick in not to mention he was still a bit tipsy from the night before. He wasn't even sure what were they talking about or if Diego was really there. Maybe he soon all of his ex-friend's ghost would make a visit so he would never be alone.

'Oh, right, life,' he gave the other man a lazy smile, 'What a great life you have. Good girlfriend? Lovely job? Or is it a lovely girlfriend and a good job?'

'Klaus,' said Diego this time with a bit calmer tone, but maybe it was Klaus's mind lowering the volume or maybe both. The truth was Diego was always more patient with Klaus then some most even if he acted grumpy or annoyed for most of the times he stayed with him, 'I used to have a _little_ crush on Ben, did you know?'

He lazily opened his eyes to see the shocked look on Diego's face but instead, he caught the flash of hurt there.

_Odd._

Klaus brushed his eyes giggling finally his stuff was kicking in properly. What the hell took it so damn long? 'He was a sweetie, but he also wouldn't take my crap if I was being too crazy.'

His lips formed a smile as he saw adult-looking ghost Ben standing by the side of the wall of the alley shaking his head. He always wondered if that was what Ben would have really looked like or if it was just some actor or face Klaus saw in the crowd and found fitting.

_'Stop telling him bullshit and cut to the point, please!'_ instructed him Ben. Always on point. Always wise. Always trying to do the right thing Ben.

'He was like a cupcake,' chuckled Klaus some more before he looked over at Diego, 'A bit of a people pleaser. I was surprised I convinced him to go that night. You know since he never wanted to piss off his parents even if they _literally never_ scold him for _anything_ ,' he shook his head and looked Diego up and down.

_Ah, Diego_.

He was the most handsome boy in school. Klaus remembered he was ten when he first realized he liked him as more than a friend or a brother from another mother. They were wrestling on the floor. Diego liked to wrestle. He liked to watch sports channels and matches his dad wouldn't let him and then they would practice on the floor grinning at each other. Diego got him to the ground again sitting on his stomach pinning his hands to the floor screaming _victory_. He looked so happy and carefree, and Klaus wanted to smile back at him and just _be quiet_. He was a talker. Klaus liked to talk. Talking was easier than thinking. It was easier than dealing with his absent parents and liking boys or girls or everyone and no one. It was easier than explaining who he was and what he liked and all of that. If he was talking his thoughts were quiet, so Klaus talked loving the sound filling the emptiness of his life. However, when he saw Diego back then, in that very moment looking so _happy_ and so _beautiful_ all Klaus wanted to do was to be quiet and let the moment completely imprint itself into his memory forever as the moment when nothing else mattered and everything was bright and hopeful in his life.

'I used to have a small crush on Luther too,' he said laughed at the confused and then horrified look that crossed Diego's face before he shook his head, 'He acted all big and leaderish like the oldest son tasked with taking care of the rest of us kids, but deep down he was a puppy just wishing for attention and for someone to take that burden away from him.'

He stepped closer to Diego again ignoring the dramatic sign Ben let out in the back of the alley, 'I used to have a crush on Allison too. I mean she was just _so big_ and fabulous. It was like a wave or storm. She was so strong and confident. People just bowed to her regardless of anything. I was a joke. People didn't take me seriously when I acted like myself. It was sad.'

Diego's face softened a bit or was it the drugs? Klaus couldn't tell anymore, 'I did. I-I always took you seriously. Y-you-you know t-that.'

Klaus smiled sadly, 'I used to have a crush on Vanya. She was so small. I wondered if I would hug her if she would disappear inside my arms. I even had a crush on Five. The whole cold asshole vibe was thrilling, to say the least.'

He could tell Diego was catching on to what he was doing as he seemed to shiver, and his face revealed the hints of panic. It was the only thing that was keeping Klaus's mind from fully giving in to the drugs and the feelings they started to awake inside him. Things were becoming blurry while feelings and senses were becoming a bit abstract and artistic.

'I didn't have a crush on you,' he said and watched as the panic once again melted into hurt before Diego looked away.

Klaus hated when people did that. If they didn't like him, they could tell him so, or snap at him, or shot him a look, but when they look away he just felt hurt and annoyed he wanted to grab their faces and shout _Look at me!_ into them. At that moment it seemed like the right thing to do, so Klaus grabbed the side of Diego's chin and forced him to look back at him.

_'You don't have time for this. Tell him what the fortuneteller told you. Now!'_ snapped Ben, but Klaus ignored him keeping his eyes on Diego as his eyes showed confusion, fear, but also something close to hope or maybe that was just his wishful thinking, 'I loved you,' he admitted out loud for the first time ever not sure if relief was the right word he would use to describe the things he was feeling, 'And I had never told you because I knew I would have a better shot with Five who was head over heels for Vanya than you.'

Diego's eyes started to spark with something like stars but maybe that was just the molly talking, 'Or Luther who worshipped the ground Allison walked on?'

_'Klaus, don't do it!'_ shouted Ben from the alley, but he ignored him.

'K-Klaus-,' started Diego, but before he could say anything else Klaus kissed him softer than he ever kissed anyone in his entire life which was very sad if he would spend too much time thinking about it.

He leaned away, 'No punch-?'

Diego's hands were on his face rough, but caring pulling him into another kiss this one desperate and needy and filled with unresolved feelings, tensions, and emotions further delaying Klaus's escape into the land of drugs and release and trapping him somewhere in between not sure it was all happening or not.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing rapidly and loudly which made him wonder if people outside the alley could hear them as well, 'W-what…'

'Shush,' whispered Klaus before he kissed him again only for Diego to cut it short and shook his head, 'No, I-I-I have g-girlfriend. I-I c-can't. Klaus. I-I c-can't. I-I-I d-don't like…t-this isn't me.'

Klaus let himself be pushed away from the feeling of hurt from his rejection like a stab into the heart.

_'Klaus, seriously?'_ asked Ben shaking his head, _'Tell him what the fortuneteller said please. Do you really want something like that to happen to anyone else?'_ asked Ben walking closer to them.

_What fortuneteller?_

'THE FORTUNETELLER FROM THIS MORNING!' shouted Ben loud enough to get through the drug haze. Klaus remembered now. There was a party and they ended up with his Madam Fate who took his hand and screamed saying there was _something_ holding the left side of his face ready to tear it up. It was faceless and scary enough that she needed a shot of whiskey and to sit down to calm enough. Until then all her predictions were fun and cheeky, but this one scared most of the people there including Klaus.

' _You did something, didn't you?_ ' her voice asked hauntingly with panic behind her eyes.

' _You mess with something not from this world,_ ' she whispered next causing several party members to start leaving while Klaus stood there frozen in place almost feeling subconsciously something cold touching the side of his face, but that must have been just his mind playing some phantom trick on him.

'I met this fortuneteller the other day,' he tried to talk casually not looking at Diego trying to shake the pain from rejection away and focus on the story, 'Real wicked witch by the way. She said…,' Klaus shook his head finally the bliss of numbness and feeling of floating kicking in fully and numbing every pain he ever felt, 'She said we were all going to die soon if we don't play the game again. Can you believe that? _Play again_?'

He felt Diego's hand took a hold of his shoulders, 'Klaus. What the hell? You know people like that are cheats.'

Klaus was confused wasn't Diego stuttering before? He heard both Ben and Diego tell him something, but he felt he was too far done, and who even cared?

When Klaus woke you, he was laying on someone's couch in the middle of the night or early morning. It was a small apartment with countless of boxes as if someone was moving out or in.

He couldn't see Ben anywhere, so he just went to look around until he found Diego laying in the bedroom with a woman using his chest as a pillow. They looked like the cutest couple which broke his heart and made him smile at the same time.

' _Sorry, D,_ ' he whispered and went back to the living room where he grabbed some of the cash out of the wallet left carelessly behind and snuck out of the door. He never saw Diego again after that, but he more or less avoided New York since then, so how could he?

Seeing him now was like getting struck by lightning. He was still so devilishly handsome and hot, but also unlike last time where he looked almost horrified upon seeing him now he walked straight to him and put his hand on his shoulder, 'You good?'

'Peachy,' said Klaus and offered him a fake bright smile, but it was hard to keep it upon seeing the honest look on the other man's face before he pulled him into a warm embrace patting his back much to Klaus's surprised, 'I glad you're alive.'

Klaus knew what he meant. He knew he would, but it still felt nice to hear it out loud and to know he didn't lose him completely with his well… _move_.

'Thanks, Diego,' he said against his shoulder instead of his usual crap before much to Klaus's disappointment, the other man let go, 'Allison and Luther are inside the room.'

'Five and Vanya are in the back by the car cuddling up,' said Klaus, and Diego nodded, 'Listen, I…about what happened when we met-'

Klaus giggled trying to ease the mood not really looking forward to chatting about what happened feeling anxious at the prospect that Diego would, and he would try to let him down again, 'When we met at the Coachella? Bridge under the water.'

Diego gave him a look before he sobered up a bit, 'I looked for you. I tried to find you for weeks, man.'

Klaus watched him for a moment not sure what to say when finally Five and Vanya started to walk closer causing him to pat Diego on the arms, 'Great talk, bro. Let's go see if Luther is as big as they say, hm?' he winked and started to walk toward the rooms not sure which one was right just knowing he needed to avoid another one of Diego's painful rejections.

_'Don't forget to tell them what the fortuneteller said!'_ urged him Ben, and Klaus rolled his eyes annoyed with his ghostly friend, 'Tell them yourself.'

* * *

**Seventeen Years Ago**

'See it's not the end of the world,' Ben said quietly as Five tried to hide his grin away from his annoying best friend while they all listened to the stupid story of how Klaus and Diego first came to the house during last year's Halloween.

'Who would have thought two other groups of kids and teens would have decided to come here on _Halloween_?' asked Diego sarcastically his stutter completely gone probably because he felt more comfortable the more they talked and laughed eating the junk food and drinking the cheap sodas Allison and Klaus brought. Klaus probably took them from home or maybe Allison got them from her sister.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you wanted some excitement, so we got it,' said Klaus and lightened up another cigarette before he started to hum along the melody in the small radio Luther brought. It looked old. Definitely, something he _borrowed_ from one of his brothers or dad.

'Not of some crazy junky seniors chasing us into the woods, bro,' complained Diego rolling his eyes. His stutter was suddenly non-existent when after all the stories they shared laughing at each other and together.

Klaus just grinned at him and the discussion carried on.

_Fine,_ Five would admit at least to himself. It wasn't the worst way to spend a night, but he would rather take smoke from Klaus than to admit that out loud with all these idiots around. Because they were still idiots, Five would rather _not_ deal with on a bad day or an important school project. Well, most of them were anyway.

He turned to Vanya just as she glanced over at him, she was smiling the whole time. It was hard not to when they were cracking one joke after another. He never saw her smile this much. Usually, her smiles were a silent affair, calm and cute. But with how much they were all laughing she was grinning which made Five want to smile even more just because she was. _It was_ stupid. He knew, but it felt pretty damn good. The whole night actually. Five was never one for crowds, and seven people definitely counted as such, but _this_ was nice. They were sitting in a circle on the ground inside the largest room which must have been a lounge before or a living room. He and Ben had been to the house before. During the day of course. The house wasn't as creepy in the daylight as it looked now in the dark. However, it helped that they were all in relaxed good moods laughing and listening to music. It was a nice night. _Really nice._

It was also the first time he saw Vanya smile and laugh this much. She was usually quite keeping her smiles hidden behind her long brown hair. It made them feel even more special whenever she did reveal them to him. However short-lived they were, they felt precious in Five's memory.

He found himself smiling back at her for a moment tuning out the rest of the group. Their collective laughter over something Luther said became a distant white noise as Five became completely focused on Vanya. His attention always seemed to gravitate toward her even if she was one of the quietest people he knew. He couldn't explain it. She was _different_. _Special_. He couldn't explain it with words, and he never really tried, but he just felt that Vanya was like something precious that people should cherish and be careful with.

Sometimes he found himself lying awake at night just thinking about her. Nothing specific just what she said or looked like when someone else said something. Apart from him wanted to be able to read her thoughts then, to know exactly what she was thinking, especially if he was the one talking. Did she like it when he spoke? Did she think he was interesting? Sometimes when he thought about her too much he felt his entire face go warm and his body react. It was so _stupid_ , but he couldn't help it hoping she would never find out about it. He sure as hell didn't plan to tell anyone. Especially not Ben since the bookworm would tease him until the end of days.

At one point, Vanya must have noticed he was staring at her because she glanced his way again. He probably should have looked away, but for some reason, he kept his eyes on her once again wondering what was running behind her brown eyes. She didn't look upset when she saw him staring like an idiot. Instead, she offered him a small smile which he repaid with a smirk before they all heard the song on the radio get butchered by a bad signal.

'Shoot!' said Luther and tried to fix it while their laughter and discussions died down a bit looking at the old thing. It was strange how the room fell completely silent as they all watched Luther work. Ever since they entered the haunted house someone was always talking whether it was Allison, Klaus, or Diego. They were the usual chatterboxes, but occasionally even he, Luther, Ben, or Vanya chipped something in if only so that they would fill the silence with someone's voice.

However, now the room was completely quiet as if suddenly all of them forgot how to lead a conversation. They all just sat next to each other watching Luther work on the radio that let out a noise here and there. It was a quiet one. Not like static, but something like a beep or something even quieter.

Five's eyes couldn't move from the device though. It was strange. He looked at it before, but he didn't really pay much attention to it. It was an old radio Luther probably dug up from his garage. There wasn't anything special about it. So why was it suddenly so interesting?

Vanya suddenly sneezed and the sound was loud enough to cause Five to look over at her just as many of the others did too.

Five noticed how oddly Diego suddenly was blinking and how Ben was brushing his eyes as Klaus half-screamed, 'Bless you, Vanyabird.'

The girl grimaced before she thanked him glancing at the radio one last time before she shook her head and started to check her pockets for something.

He glanced at the radio too, but just as Luther probably gave up on it and put it down it lost its interest to him too.

'Whatever,' commented the larger boy, but just as the radio hit the floor it started another song which caused everyone to burst into laugher the good easy-going mood from before returning as they all shared embarrassed grimaces and eye rolls probably all average it was weird for a second.

'What should we do now?' asked Allison looking over them, 'Uuu, seven minutes in heaven?'

'No!' groaned Diego and Ben just as Klaus raised both his hands and screamed, 'YES!'

'There are like two girls,' complained Diego before he tossed himself on his back staring at the ceiling, 'It doesn't have to be just girls-'

Five rolled his eyes upon hearing that before he thought he caught someone standing in the doorway.

It was a second, but it was enough for Five to quickly stood up looking in the direction of it confused and feeling uneasy.

'Five?' he heard Ben asked but kept on looking at the dark doorway where the light coming from their flashlights didn't reach leaving it in the dark. It wasn't usual that people came to the house. Teenagers and locals trying to catch a scare or drink or whatever. But as Diego and Klaus pointed out with their story usually the busiest time was during Halloween or summer. Rarely anyone stuck around during the winter as far as Five knew.

'Uh, nothing,' he said and shook his head before he sat back down.

Klaus took a sip from the can while Allison said, 'Let me guess, you saw something _spoooooky_.'

'Shut up,' he said but couldn't help himself to glance toward the door one more time. The hallway was empty. He knew it was. They were the only ones in the house, and Luther put a belt on top of the door to make sure they would hear if someone came inside, but it couldn't help the unsettling feeling slowly crawling its way up to his back as if _someone_ really was there.

It was just a moment when he rolled his eyes at what was said, but even so, Five was positive he saw someone in the doorway. It looked like someone's head and legs…or something. It was dark and shadowy, but Five was pretty sure he saw them.

He turned back to the group ignoring their chatter a bit lost in his own thoughts before he glanced at the doorway again. It was still empty as it should be.

When they came, they split up and checked the entire house for any homeless people or someone. They didn't find anyone, so they set up the belt. Luther said his brothers did it like this before whenever they came here to drink and told him about it. Could someone have come to play a prank on them?

If so, why couldn't Five shake the chills that were still running down his back as his eyes trying to look into the darkness of the hallway?

'Five!' called Allison suddenly breaking his train of thoughts.

He turned to her ready to snap at her again before he noticed everyone was looking at him, not just her which forced him to forget about the dark hallway for a moment.

Luther chuckled mockingly, 'You're up. Spacing out won't save you.'

He was confused before he looked down noticing a bottle was pointing right at him and opposite from was… _oh._

'There's a small room, first door on the right in the hallway,' said Klaus waving at the hallway with his newly opened can of soda. Just how long was Five out? He was known to space out when he was working on some of his math problems or homework, but this seemed long even for him.

_Strange_

Vanya was already standing up so he did the same ignoring the teasing look Ben was shooting him to focus more on the hallway they were about to enter.

'You okay?' asked Vanya with her soft voice as she got close to him with the flashlight Allison gave her before they entered the house.

He didn't answer because honestly, he didn't know at the moment just wanted to have a quick look at the hallway. He wasn't usually scared easily. But then again, he didn't usually come here during the dark, so knew for sure?

Five paused in the hallway, but just as he expected no one was around. It was just his mind momentarily making an idiot out of him.

'It's nothing,' he said and opened the door to the small room which could have been a closet or some supply room with how small it looked barely big enough for the two of them.

The door closed behind Vanya and the two of them found themselves in the small room only lightened by the flashlight in Vanya's hand.

Suddenly, they were inside, _alone_ , and Five couldn't help but feel nervous for a completely different reason the whole _someone_ was in the hallways forgotten, 'We don't have to do anything, you know.'

'I know that,' she said all too quickly before she looked away which didn't help his nerves from feeling even more awkward than he did before. Suddenly the evening wasn't so awesome, and Five wasn't sure what to do about it. It was…weird and more than a little embarrassing. Why would anyone even want to have their first kiss while five other people were most likely giggling by the door waiting to open it up? Surely, someone would try to open up. If not Ben definitely Klaus or Allison he knew those two too well to put it past them.

Five looked at her again. Despite the awkwardness which made him want to leave right now, it wasn't the worse if he thought about the fact that this was the first time, he and Vanya were alone today like this. Even more so in space, no one could see them in unlike during their walks home or in the class.

'It's kinda nice,' said Vanya all of the sudden cutting some of the awkwardness and silence before she looked at him and grimaced, 'Klaus is hilarious. I mean he's joking in class too, but this is definitely a new level.'

Five chuckled upon hearing that. It was true, doing the class, the mentioned boy couldn't exactly express himself as freely as he could here.

He crossed his arms, 'I think you mean crazy and obnoxious.'

She shook her head but continued to smile at him before she said rather cheekily, 'No, I don't, and you know it.'

No, he didn't think she would think such things about Klaus or anyone for that matter. Vanya was good, nice, and kind. He rarely spoke with her finding it hard to talk when she was around fearing anything he would say would make him sound like an idiot, but whenever she spoke with Ben, Five could hear she was honest and sincere about things and people. He liked hearing her talk. Especially now.

'I'm glad I came. I was… _worried_? I had never been to a place like this even during the day,' she confessed looking at her shoes while shrugging her shoulder, 'I know it's cowardly or whatever, but…I'm pretty sure I would die if I would have to come here all by myself.'

Five shook his head quickly, 'I get it. Ben and I came here a few times during the day. It's not so different now, but it feels more intense and creepy. I would never try to come here alone at night either,' he said wondering if she wouldn't view it as cowardly and weak that he confessed to something like that. His mother surely would, but Vanya offered him a small smile, 'Glad to hear it's not just me,' her voice softened a bit as she asked, 'You and Ben are friends for a long time, huh?'

'Feels like _forever_ ,' nodded Five with fake a sigh of annoyance before he chuckled, 'Can't figure out why he put ups with me sometimes though.'

Vanya blinked surprised by hearing that, ' _Really_?'

Five shot her a look wondering if she was teasing him before she shook her head taking a step closer, 'No, really, I…I think a lot of people like you and want to be friends with you just…don't really know how to get over this…?' she waved her hand in front of him with a helpless look.

'Wall of hostility,' he offered, 'Ben's words.'

They both chuckled at that and Vanya brushed some of her hair behind her ear leaving Five to wonder when did she come so closer to him, 'No, I'm pretty sure people _like_ Ben and tolerate _me._ '

Vanya then did something he found utterly fascinating causing his heart to speed up while he watched her bite her lower lip with a very focused look on her face. The flashlight provided barely any light, but Five would have sworn he saw her face turn a bit more red as if she was blushing.

'Maybe not everyone,' she said and looked up at her holding his gaze for a moment causing him to feel the pressure he sometimes did inside his stomach when she smiled in a particular way. It seemed even more intensified now that they were alone in the dark, so close to each other. If one of them reached other they would be touching. It was such an interesting realization.

'Did you ever kiss someone?' he asked her quietly and out of the blue not because he was worried the others might be eavesdropping but because he felt the moment was too tender for his voice to be any louder even if everything inside him felt tight and heavier than ever. He didn't plan to ask her that. He didn't really plan to actually go through with the whole game. It was stupid to want to kiss anyone under such circumstances, but with her so close and them talking, he just went with the moment for bother or worse.

Vanya offered him a short shook of the head.

They continued to look at one another and before Five knew it their lips touched. He didn't notice when did they lean closer or who was the first one to kiss the other one. He just closed his eyes once he felt the sensation of her wet and soft lips against his trying to remember how he saw people kiss before and form it along with what move felt better. It was clumsy and a bit strange, but also _nice_. Very _nice._ Really _nice_. It was warm and her lips were soft just like he would imagine if he ever thought about her lips. It was perfect.

When Vanya's hand took a hold of his wrist, her hand was icy and for a moment Five debated if he shouldn't have asked her if she wasn't cold or could use his jacket, but then he got taken by the feeling of delicate pressure inside him from the touch of Vanya's lips against his. Something inside Five told him to kiss her deeper which caused a small spark of something ran through him from the contact lightening him up like a Christmas tree.

They stopped kissing looking at one another sharing the same surprised face, 'W-was it bad?'

She shook her head quickly looking almost concerned now that he would think so, 'I liked it.'

He nodded, and she raised her brows, 'Did you-'

'Yeah, a lot,' he confessed a bit quickly and the both of them chuckled awkwardly for a second just looking at one another letting the realization of what just happened to sink in. _He liked it a lot._

He wondered what should he do now and just how much time did they have left before Vanya stood up on her toes and kissed him again causing him to forget about it in the meantime.

He put his free hand on her shoulder to help her stand. Somehow the second kiss was even better than the first as they had a better idea about how they should move. It was starting to leave Five breathless before he felt Vanya's hand against his chest the same time her hand tugged his wrist backward.

Five broke the kiss and looked behind him only now realizing with a shock that if Vanya's right hand was still holding the flashlight and left pressed against his chest, she couldn't have been holding his wrist, 'What's wrong?'

She pointed to the flashlight to where Five was turned to but revealed only the wall of the small room. No one was around. How could they? There was only one door which was closed. It didn't make sense. It had to be some sort of reflex or Five's imagination playing a prank on him. But, he was sure he felt someone's cold grip on his wrist.

'Sorry, I thought…I felt someone hold my wrist,' he admitted frowning at himself as he realized it might have scared the girl. It definitely caused him to feel a bit nervous.

When he looked over at Vanya she didn't look too happy about what he said which further added to the feeling of annoyance that he ruined their moment.

'Sorry-'

'No,' she shook her head quickly trying to assure him it wasn't a big deal, 'It was great…uh,' she looked away definitely blushing now with a small smile playing across her face which melted some of the annoyance away and left him happy with knowing that smile was created because of their kiss. He couldn't help but smile as well just as she continued, 'I…I wouldn't mind if we did it again… _sometimes_?'

All of a sudden the gloomy experience was forgotten and Five felt his smile turn into a large grin feeling ten times better knowing she liked the kiss too and wanted them to do it again as well. He felt his heart speeding up again as his mind tried to come up with a good enough reply.

'Yes, me too-,' he managed to say before the door was abruptly opened by Diego and Luther shining another flashlight toward them, 'Hey! What the hell you two?'

'What?!' barked Five covering his eyes a bit as he was momentarily blinded by the sharp light. Vanya no doubt as well.

'That banging. The mirror was shaking so hard we thought it was going to fall down,' said Luther and lowed the flashlight only for Five and Vanya to share a confused look both of their eyes adjusting to the dark again, 'What are you talking about?'

Diego's frown eased before he asked confused and more than a bit worried with his stuttering returning, 'D-didn't y-you sneak up to the other r-r-room and banged against t-t-t-he wall to sha-shake the large m-mirror?'

They both shook their heads before Vanya spoke, 'We were here the entire time. I swear.'

Luther and Diego shared a look before the taller one spoke, 'Maybe we should wrap it up. It's close to midnight and someone could be coming to check the property.'

They all headed out into the main room where Ben, Klaus, and Allison were circling something on the floor.

'What's going on?' asked Luther, 'Five and Vanya said it wasn't them-'

'Klaus was trying to lick me, and I started to run and tripped over a loose wood. Uh, something's under it,' explained Ben while Klaus kneeled down and pulled what looked like candles and a small nicely tugged piece of paper wrapped around one of them, 'Looks like witchcraft.'

'Don't be stupid,' said Five as they walked closer to them. All eyes fell on Allison as she pulled the paper from the candle and unfolded it, 'It looks like some set of rules to a game-'

'There it is!' said Diego and crossed his arms looking more confident one as if the dread from before was completely forgotten, 'I knew you would try to freak us out with some crazy ghostly ritual or something. Tell me is it your sister's plan or did you cook this one on your own?'

Allison shot him a heated look the one Five recognized from school whenever someone decided to talk back to her, 'How the hell would I have predicted that Ben would trip against that piece of floor or the banging?'

'That was Five and Vanya,' said Ben quickly only for Vanya to shake her head again, 'We didn't hear any banging. We were in the closet the entire time. I swear.'

'Are you serious?' asked Klaus not looking like he believed them one bit, 'The damn thing shook so hard we thought it was going to fall down and curse us with like a thousand years of bad juju, not just seven.'

Vanya opened her mouth, but Diego cut in, 'It's a prank. Good one, Allison. Really convincing scared final girl back there. Can we please not do the whole creepy game or whatever you have planned for us?'

'It's not me!' snapped Allison taking a step closer ready to fight.

'Right-'

'If she said it wasn't her, it wasn't her,' said Luther seriously all of them arguing over one another at the same time now while Five rolled his eyes and looked at the mirror with the strange unsettling feeling coming back at him his own reflection looking almost _sinisterly_ back at him.

* * *

**Now**

They all ended up in Allison's motel room. Klaus laying down on her bed while Diego stood by the door as if one of them was planning to make a run for it.

Luther decided to stay near Allison, and Vanya took a chair while Five stood by her pressed against the small table. It all seemed surreal. Most of them haven't seen each other in ages. For a moment, Allison could clearly picture each and every one of them as the thirteen-year-old kid wearing what they wrote the night it all happened and then they once again became adults. They were all living their lives for better or worse most of them away from Pawnee completely. She wondered often what would thirteen-year-old self say to all of this. The one she was before that night in the haunted house, before the game. Would she be proud and happy she made it? Would she be said she wasn't with her friends and family? Would she be confused she let all of this happen? Allison honestly didn't know and dreaded to try and figure it out.

'So? Can you finally tell us what all of this is about? You basically called an emergency meeting based on, what the anniversary of Ben's death without a single explanation,' said Allison crossing her arms over her shoulders. Seeing everyone grown up without Ben was hard and made her relive the guilt she tried so desperately to let go over the years claiming she was just a stupid kid back then. The excuse didn't always work to make her feel better about herself though.

Five glanced at Vanya who offered him a small encouraging smile and for a moment, Allison thought she would take his hand. No way, they met just now and were just _friends._ There was too much going on there, and it seemed that the chemistry between them was still just strong as it was when they were kids.

Five sighed before he started, 'About a month ago I got a letter from Sir Reginald Hargreeves.'

'Fancy,' commented Klaus, but Five ignored him, 'He's the owner of the house, and he knew about what was going on inside.'

Everyone looked like they needed a moment to take it in. For all of them, this whole trip was about recalling the events of that night and trying to move on or see what Five had to say. It was unavoidable that they would dig into those old wounds, but it was still just as painful that they did.

Ben was only a little kid. They were all only little kids. They deserved better. Ben deserved better.

'So what? This fucker let that thing stand knowing innocent people could have ended up there hurt or dead? Kids?' demanded Diego walking further into the room away from the door as if he wanted to scare Five and unleash his anger on him.

The other man didn't let him frowning in defiance and standing up taller, 'He couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't just the game that was a curse. It's the whole house. For years he had to carry on keeping the house there and leaving whoever was _stupid enough_ like us to wander in and choose their own fate.'

Allison looked away upon hearing that the pain of it being primarily her fault hitting her once again now more than ever. It hurt almost as much as not being able to see Claire. It hurt like she couldn't breathe.

She felt Luther put his hand on her shoulder instantly some warmth and comfort filling her body numbing the pain until it became more bearable.

She offered him a weak smile, not able to do more at that very moment.

'Allison,' said Vanya suddenly which caused her to look at the other woman. From all of them in the room, it felt like Vanya didn't change at all. She was still short and petite with her natural hair color and flawless fair skin barely looking like she passed the age of twenty-one. Her expression as she looked at Allison was calm and held no grudge, 'It wasn't your fault.'

She tried to smile at her as well, but it came out more like a grimace, she was sure of it.

'Vanya's right,' cut in Five causing her to look at him again, 'Hargreeves said that over the _years_ the house stood there many people wander in. Not everyone played the game. Not everyone was… _chosen_.'

Klaus sat up at that making some room on the bed if someone else wanted to sit there, 'What does that mean? Like we were the unlucky bunch who won the free ticket to hell?'

'Basically,' said Five drily, 'We ended there on October the 1st. A week after your sister was there. The only day in the entire year where the mirror or house or whatever allows you to find the list of rules for the game.'

Everyone took a moment to let it in. All of them were facing their own demons other than the one they encountered that night.

Diego was the first one to speak, 'So what else did the old man say? Any ideas on what to do about it all?'

* * *

**A Month Ago**

If the man was disappointed or annoyed he didn't show it just nodded with his face completely absent of any emotions which could help Five better assess how he should deal with him, 'Very well.'

There was silence for a moment with the burning wood in the fireplace the only sound disrupting it causing the whole scene to feel even tenser and alerted.

'Will you start already?' asked Five the silence proving to be unnerving as he was never one to be patient let alone when he hadn't eaten, slept, or function properly for the last several hours while flying over here. Sir Hargreeves didn't answer watching him for a moment with cold as ice eyes before he motioned to an old looking notebook sitting by the chair where Five was seated.

'It belonged to my aunt. She was a family historian you could say. She wrote countless of handwritten notebooks about our family. This particular one is about the house on the hill in the small town of Pawnee, Indiana in the US. It was mostly what she gathered from the town or family archives. The beginnings aren't very well documents or with a lot of evidence but the closer you get to our years, there is more,' explained the old man as Five took the notebook and went over the pages watching the elegant handwriting slowly turning somewhat harder to read as if the person was in a hurry or terrified.

'One of our ancestors came to the US in early 1870 before the land rushes started. She married a wealthy man who owned several lands throughout the whole country. Bored and rich, she started to travel through all those lands and build houses and mansions, where there weren't any until she arrived at Pawnee,' he took a long sip of his drink before he continued probably going through some old bitter memories as well not that Five could tell with his face a perfect mask.

His voice got a bit tense now, 'It wasn't uncommon that some of their lands already had houses. Her husbands' family, the Hartwick, was old and had many members. The house in Pawnee was small, and not in the best condition so she started to rebuild it. According to some archives, six people died during the construction alone. They were all reported as small working accidence,' he pointed at the notebook in Five's hands, 'My aunt however spoke with a descendent of one of those people. He said that their bodies were never given to the families for the funerals and that the Hartwick family paid the families a rather large at the time amount of money yearly as reparation for _whatever_ happened. He didn't have any proof, but he claimed that since then his family forbidden the children from ever going into the house until they moved away from Pawnee in the '50s. After those first tragic… _events_ , there had been several reports of people missing or stumbling into accidents with the main family Hartwick never actually staying in the house for longer than a day. However, never delaying their stay through the night hours,' he said, and Five frowned gripping the book inside his hands tighter, 'So they knew?'

The man shrugged his shoulders, 'As I said. There aren't any archives with evidence left. If they knew, they purposely chose to bury it until 1946 when my family line inherited several of the Hartwick lands and estates due to most of them dying out or…'

'Or?!'

Sir Hargreeves look at his glass without taking another sip once again the cracking of the woods in the fireplace seemingly the only sound in the whole mansion leaving Five with an even more unnerving feeling.

'Some died of old age. Some died in the war, and then there was a fire,' said the man darkly and looked at Five again, who nodded carefully feeling dreadful about the slow pacing of the story as well as about what would happen once they would reach the end, 'I'm guessing it wasn't an ordinary fire?'

Sir Hargreeves tapped his index finger against the glass lightly, 'Fire is such a strange occurrence. It takes everything, and yet it leaves something behind, doesn't it? Ash, smoke, parts of bodies, bones, burnt skin. In the case of the Hartwick mansion fire it also took out most of the main building and the rest of the family descendants leaving behind smoke, ash, bodies, bones… _no_ _faces_.'

Five frowned deeper trying to control the tremble that went through his body as for a second in front of his eye he saw a flashback of the faceless creature they encountered as children its head turned straight at him as if he could tell Five was there even without the eyes. It was as if he was thirteen again behind the circle they drew earlier with Ben and Vanya close to him their breathing so hard he could hear it even now, 'You mean they got burned off?' he asked already knowing that wouldn't be the case, but in the need to say it to calm his now rapidly beating heartbeat.

'I think you know what I mean, don't you?' asked the man slowly, and Five felt resentment for the old man as he made him feel like he was sitting there in the chair as a thirteen-year-old trembling with fear, and the flashes of the monster without a face that took his best friends appearing in front of his eyes adding to the horribly dark atmosphere of this mansion and the man's story.

'They were gone? Their faces were blank,' said Five, but instead of a confirmation, pleasure, or annoyance Sir Hargreeves rewarded his answer with a seemingly confused look, 'Blank?'

Five leaned forward, 'Gone, like just their heads were there but without any eyes, nose, mouth or facial hair.'

Sir Hargreeves watched him for a moment before he shook his head realizing something and revealing some hint of his emotions to Five, 'Oh no, my dear boy. They were gone, but not blank, no…not at all. In the notebook somewhere in the middle there are pictures my aunt took from the police reports.'

Five started to go over the pages while the man continued to speak, 'What you describe sound far more child's storylike. I assured you the reality was far more nightmarish-'

Five's stomach made a flip, and his eyes shift away as he found the pictures of the events Sir Hargreeves was talking about. It was a good thing Five didn't have anything to eat or more to drink as he was sure he would have thrown up at the sight.

Taking a deep breath, he forced his eyes to return to take another look at the pictures from the crime scene. There was the burnt house almost completely gone, and then there were the pictures of the victims found inside. Their faces looked like they were ripped out from their heads leaving their meat and parts of their skin behind clearly visible even in the horrible quality of the old photos.

'Now, naturally, the authorities didn't know what to make of it, and my family made sure any evidence for anything other than accident got buried,' spoke Sir Hargreeves, 'As everyone from the previous line was dead. We inherited the house in Pawnee along with others, and my aunt began to look into its history noticing more and more odd occurrences. People missing, dying of accidents, the mysterious mirror-'

'The mirror? In the big room?' asked Five closing the notebook for now and chasing the thoughts of the images he saw away for a moment to focus. The mirror in the biggest room covering most of the wall which served as a gate for that _thing_ to come and hunt them down.

'Why is it mysterious? Did she saw something?' asked Five pressing the issue finally feeling like they were getting somewhere and not having to think about the fate of the Hartwick family.

The old man nodded, 'She noticed that there is no mention about where or how it was purchase. The Hartwick were very materialistic and kept quite a detailed catalog about all their purchases in every house. However, the large mirror was never mentioned in any of them. As if it simply appeared one day completely unimportant or invisible to the family and the staff. My aunt believed perhaps there were some hidden archives about the Pawnee house and the mystery. The house had been empty since the '30 as many other houses. The family didn't spend a lot of time in them and by the '80 most of the old furniture got sold or taken.'

'Not the mirrors though,' said Five, and Sir Hargreeves gripped the glass tighter his fingers turning white from how hard he was holding it now seemingly upset about another of his own memories, 'It couldn't be explained. I personally had been inside the house, and…every time someone tried to take any of the mirrors out it was like they became invisible, erased from our minds to be left in peace on the walls right where they belong.'

Five glanced at the notebook for a moment thinking about how hard it was to remember everything which happened in the house that night, 'So why not destroy the whole house? Burn it? You have the money, the tools?'

'It's not possible-'

'Why?'

'There had been four recorded failed attempts to destroy the house,' said the old man, 'Each time someone tried to there were accidents more of which you will find written in the notebook by my aunt,' the old man explained, 'It appears the mirror feeds on those who play its game and doesn't want to be left starving for too long.'

Five looked up at him, 'The game. Did you play?'

Sir Hargreeves didn't confirm or deny instead of continuing with the story, 'My…younger brother and his family did. He said they found the instructions on one of the walls. My aunt spoke with a few of the unlucky ones who played over the years. Apparently, the location changes every time.'

Five frowned as he remembered they found the instructions and candles under the floor where Ben knocked one of the wooden bars out when he stumbled, 'So there were others who played? Did they manage to win?'

Sir Hargreeves shook his head, 'From my brother's family, he was the only survivor. Then there was a group where no one made it out. Another where two participants did out of five and one where three out of seven made it out. Your group was the first one where everyone almost won. At least according to the records, my aunt managed to get a hold of.'

Five grimaced bitterly and the image of Ben being dragged by a faceless monster into a mirror sent a new wave of chills and dread through his body, 'So we should consider ourselves lucky.'

Sir Hargreeves chuckled, out loud ' _Lucky?_ '

He looked at him the smile fading away, 'The only thing you should consider lucky is that the last one of your group has yet to claim her reward, my boy.'

Five watched him for a moment tensing at the mention of Vanya. She had been present in his thoughts since the beginning of the year for some reason. He started to frequently check to see if she hadn't published any book yet, but maybe she was using a pseudonym, he didn't know. He knew it sounded crazy but with every new secretary or assistant, he gave them a specific order that if anyone named Vanya would be called, they were to inform him immediately regardless of time and place. Ridiculous as if she would call him after so many years.

'Why did you ask me to come?' asked Five, and Sir Hargreeves nodded, 'You will find a few stories in the notebook about the fates of those who _won_ the game. They all end the same with successful, fairytale lives and then sudden unexplained deaths in animal attacks, fires, home invasion, manslaughter all of which bodies were found with their faces ripped out of their heads,' explained the man and took another sip letting Five soak the information in before he started to flip the notebook toward the ending seeing newer looking photos from morgues and crime scenes of victims without faces.

'My family covered everything up-'

Five tunned the man's next words out looking at the victims' heads revealing the meat, blood, and ripped pieces of skin on the side. It was nauseating and made his head spin knowing this was what would happen to all of them. People… _survivors_ -those who won the game weren't winners at all. Just sitting ducks. They would receive their reward and get killed anyway without a second shot. Five didn't know if those people had their faces taken after they were killed or not but given everything that happened, he doubted they would be so lucky.

'Why not put a warning? Why not put a fence around the house-'

'It doesn't work like that, my boy,' said the man annoying Five now with his fatherlike words, 'That's not how the mirror wants to play the game. You can't separate it from unknowing potential players. It's a roll of dice. You think you and your friends were the first to enter a _haunted_ house? No, you weren't first or last. People do it even now. The only difference is the night when you did so. The night…the only night in the year when the Faceless Man wants to play and allows you to play if you dare.'

October the 1st. The most terrifying night of his entire life.

Five swallowed and closed the notebook, 'So…that's what will happen? To all of us? Death…it will come for us to claim our faces? Kill us?'

Sir Hargreeves nodded, 'It always does. My brother wished for a son. A male heir. The Faceless man took his daughter and wife, and he tried to run from it. He tried to avoid it and then met the most beautiful woman he ever saw… _a soulmate_ he told me, and he couldn't run. He couldn't hide. He said it was like he was possessed and the night his son was born…,' he fell quiet after that, and Five allowed him to keep his tragedy to himself instead of thinking about everything he knew about everyone who played that night and made it out.

'I think…I'm sure that everyone except for one person got their reward. I would have to check, make some phone calls but she-'

'She's resistant,' agreed Sir Hargreeves with a nod, 'When I first…found out about this _cursed game,_ I tried to help and protect the people who played, but…as I said it's like you get possessed. You can't help it. You won, and you have to claim the reward whatever it is. I supposed with your group I just assumed you would fall to the same fate as the ones before you, but it has been years since the rest of you claimed their rewards, but your friend seemed to be stronger than others, doesn't she?'

Five nodded wondering how could Hargreeves know what they wish for, but at the same time it wouldn't be too hard to see that they had fairytale lives filled with blessed success, money, love, or anything else.

'She wanted to write a best-seller,' he admitted out loud remembering how she paused before she said her wish out loud. She didn't want to make it. He knew she didn't. None of them wanted to, but the creature wouldn't let them. If they stayed quiet, they got burnt.

His body involuntarily got goosebumps as he recalled the sensation of being on fire when he tried to trick the creature.

Hargreeves nodded, 'So far she had managed to fight the urge, but I can assure you, it wouldn't last forever. It never does. The game follows the rules. It will find a way to force her perhaps even possess her to do so. She's running out of time and with that all of you. I…it is my personal mistake and failure that I didn't at least try to warn you from the start. For that I am sorry.'

Five wasn't sure what to say to the man. He wanted to blame him, but could he? If the game was design to cheat its way at every turn what could the old man do? If he really couldn't destroy the mirrors, the house, stop people from entering, or convince them not to take out their reward, what could he have done?

What could have any one of them done? Decide not to go? Decide to go another night? Stop Allison from reading the rules? Leave before midnight? There was so much they could have done differently in order to save Ben and themselves.

'All of us made mistakes that night,' said Five at the end holding the notebook closer to his chest. It was true. Each one of them made the mistake of coming to the house and playing. If only they stayed home or stopped the game before it started, they could have been saved and okay, but they chose their fates unknowingly with every decision they made. Now they could only let them go and try to make it better. Knowing what was waiting for them was paralyzing yes, but also hopeful. Vanya still hadn't claimed her reward, Five just knew it. They still had time to try to do something. Anything was worth the shot if it meant they could survive. _Anything_.

'What's important is that we try to do something about if we still have time,' he looked at Hargreeves, 'Did your aunt found a way to try and win the game? Really win it? Maybe if Vanya was somewhere where she couldn't write-'

'You mean to kill her perhaps?' asked the old man which caused a shiver to run down Five's spine as he instantly snapped 'No!'

Even Hargreeves looked surprised by the outburst, 'Either way, it wouldn't work. After what happened, my brother tried to commit suicide, but constantly due to strange occurrences ended up rescued. The only way to beat it is to play again by the rules of the second game.'

Five blinked surprised, 'The rules of the second game?'

'Turn to the last page in the notebook,' said Hargreeves, and Five turned around again noticing how the handwriting was getting worse and worse with every page until he found the last page.

' _2nd game rules,_ ' he read out loud and looked at the man, 'Does this mean a person can play again?'

'Most of the players are so terrified they don't even think about playing again, do they now?' asked Hargreeves, and if the discussion was about anything else Five would think he was being smug about it.

Five nodded. It was true. No matter how much he missed Ben or wish to never have played the game in the first place, it never occurred to him to play _again_.

'Your aunt played again?' asked Five.

The old man shook his head, 'She didn't, but she came on October the 1st into the house so the game would show her the rules and then went to look for the secret archives. She believed that night was special for some reason and only _that_ night of the year she would be able to find them.'

Five read through the rules frowning at the tiny spots of dark red drops on the pages before he looked at the old man and asked, 'What happened?'

'We found her in the morning with a rope around her neck hanging from one the staircases,' said the Hargreeves just as coldly as he said everything else, 'Her face was in the same condition as was anyone else's but sentiment forbids me from including a photo for the notebook. We found it secured under her shirt. She was trying to protect it with her life apparently.'

Five wanted to say he was sorry for the man's loss but at the same time, he found it pointless since they were all at loss due to the cruel game. He glanced at the notebook again and read the rules once again more carefully this time before his eyes widened in shock, 'B-but this…this would mean.'

'Yes, it does,' said the man slowly stood up revealing just how old and weakened he was, 'I suppose you have a lot to arrange. Gather all the players and prepare them for the second round of the game.'

Five still kept his eyes on the notebook not able to speak due to the realization of what one of the rules meant. He shouldn't be surprised. He was dealing with a curse and demonic creature of some sort so why should he be surprised about this little rule. But suddenly everything he heard tonight lost meaning as for the first time Five felt a spark of hope about all the horror.

_Ben could be alive. Ben could be saved._

The old man raised his hand with a white sealed envelope finally capturing Five's attention, 'I suppose all I can do right now, is to wish you good luck.'

Five glanced at the envelope before he took it, 'What's this?'

'Final resort. If all will fail and only once you are positive that you will have enough time to get your friend out and destroy the mirror you must use it,' said the man for the first time looking like he might have been emotional, 'I know it doesn't count, but I am truly sorry, I couldn't and didn't help any of you before. I truly hope _this_ will make up for it.'

Five could tell he meant it and so he raised his hand.

The old man took it, 'Good luck, Five.'

* * *

**Seventeen Years Ago**

Allison groaned, 'Whatever!'

She then took a deep breath for a moment thinking of her nanna smiling at her in the kitchen before she felt a shiver at the back of her neck.

'Allie?' she heard Luther call out and shook her head chasing the memory and cold away, 'Do you want to play? Do you want to play the game of the Faceless Man?' She started loudly ignoring Diego's loud chuckle clearly making fun of the whole idea.

'If you're brave enough the rules are simple. You start at midnight by lighting up a candle then step inside a circle made by chalk inside a room with a large mirror. Each player must have a candle of their own. Everyone inside the room where you begin is a participant in the game. If the Faceless man decides you're a worthy opponent, he will come. You must tell him what you wish to gain as a reward if you win his game, but remember if you lose you will receive the exact opposite,' she stopped reading for a second taking it in before glancing at the others.

Diego crossed his arms still looking like wasn't buying it probably thinking it was all a set up by Allison, 'T-t-total, BS.'

She rolled her eyes and continued, 'You cannot ask for a reward that would alter the rules of the game. You cannot ask for a reward that is connected to any of the wishes of other players. The game starts after he leaves and ends only with the first sunlight or if you get caught. Once you start you cannot leave the house. Once you start you cannot talk to anyone who isn't a part of the game about the game. If you do not wish to play hide this note, candles, and chalk where you found them. If you decide to play, good luck.'

She turned the paper around, but that was all that was written there. She wondered if her sister asked one of her friends to write it. She knew for sure it wasn't her handwriting.

'What happens if you get caught?' asked Vanya. She was the first one who spoke so everyone turned to look at her. Diego still looked like it was a joke. Five and Luther looked skeptical or annoyed. Klaus still seemed to want to play. Ben looked a bit unsure glancing back and forth between them all trying to see what were the others thinking probably. But Vanya seemed to be the only one who full-on didn't like the idea.

'What happens if you get caught?' she asked again, but Allison shrugged her shoulders and checked the instructions, 'It doesn't say. I guess whatever you wished as a reward will backfire.'

Vanya looked at the floor unsure but didn't say anything else after that, instead, it was Ben who spoke, 'It doesn't seem like that would be everything that would happen. If you lose, that you would just lose your wish. If it was a real haunted game-'

'Give me a break,' groaned Diego, 'Five, back me up here-'

Ben raised his voice, 'I just think…I just think if it was a real deal or real fake deal the punishment wouldn't be just losing whatever you desire the most.'

'Death,' muttered Vanya, but in the silence of the creepy house, they could all hear it loud and clear.

'The punishment would be death,' she clarified even if she didn't have to.

Allison felt the shiver at the back of her body return along with the memory of her nanna for some reason, but instead of giving into it she stood her ground reminding herself it was just a stupid prank by her sister, 'It doesn't matter. My sister obviously made it up or she played it and nothing happened. Come on. If we win we can have a wish come true, and if not we can laugh about how stupid we were for being scared.'

'Oh, so you're scared?' asked Diego crossing his arms with a teasing smirk on his face.

Luther shot him a look, 'Shut up.'

'Let's light up the candles,' said Allison quickly avoiding Vanya's pleading look.

They were doing this. She made up her mind. It was just a harmless game to pass the time. She would tell her sister she tried a good one, but it didn't work. They could all laugh about it later, right?

She glanced at Luther just to be sure the way she usually did when she had an idea because she knew he would always back her up.

The tall boy nodded and gave her a small smile which was all the support she needed to gain back her confidence and turn to the others, 'Klaus? The lighter, please?'

Vanya let out a small sigh while Five glanced at Ben clearly in his look voicing his protest and annoyance as Allison proclaimed loudly, 'We're playing the Faceless Man's Game!'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: Thank you for the support, I hope those of you who read it enjoyed this chapter and the story so far :) Chapters are a bit longer than I would have expected, but I am trying to say as much as the story needs so I hope it is ok for you :) Also Happy New Year for, I hope this year will be better for everyone, and I hope all of you and your loved ones are okay. Have a nice day :)

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: Hey, thank you for taking the time to read this. I know it's not very seasonal, but I wanted to write a horror story for a very long time and decided to just do it. Also I thought it would be a nice addition as the 13 part of this series :3 Thank you for your constant support. I hope all of you are safe and okay. Have a nice day.


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